Govt to take 'necessary steps' if pandemic disrupts SSC, HSC exam plans

The government is pressing forward with its plans to hold the SSC and HSC examinations later this year, keeping in mind that the situation may not be conducive for the tests due to the coronavirus crisis.

Bangladesh is currently grappling with an unrelenting pandemic and the education authorities will take necessary action if the situation does not improve in the coming months, according to Education Minister Dipu Moni.

"Coronavirus infections are on the decline. The positive rate had been above 30 percent but has come down to 22-23 percent range. The vaccination drive has also started again so we hope to be able to hold the SSC exams in mid-November and the HSC exams in December," she told reporters on Thursday.

"However, if for some reason the situation does not improve, as we saw last time, then we will take the necessary steps."

All educational institutions in the country have been closed since mid-March last year.

Initially, the government had announced the restart of schools and colleges by the end of March this year, but the resurgence of coronavirus infections scuppered the plan after highly contagious variants of the coronavirus were detected.

Consequently, students in schools and colleges have not sat for any public examination during the COVID-19 crisis.

Last year, at the onset of the pandemic, the SSC tests were completed, but the HSC exams were postponed.

As the institutions remained shut, the students were promoted automatically to the next classes without exams after holding classes online.

The HSC results were published by averaging the grades in JSC and SSC. Dipu Moni on Jul 15 announced that the SSC examinations will be held in November and the HSC tests in December if the pandemic situation improved across the country

The examinations will be held following health protocols and with an abridged syllabus, the education minister had said. The tentative dates are the second week of November for the SSC exams and the first week of December for the HSC exams.

The exams in 2021 will be based on three elective subjects considering the setback caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

If the pandemic situation is not favourable, the ministry will mull about combining the results of subject mapping for required subjects, by considering the results of previous public examinations, and the results of the assignments.