Education minister says 2027 SSC exams likely in December to cut session jam

He says students lose a year after HSC exams waiting to get enrolled into universities

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon has said the 2027 SSC and equivalent examinations could be advanced to December as part of efforts to ease the country’s longstanding session jam.

The minister also suggested a similar rescheduling for the 2027 HSC exams to ensure that students do not lose time between their board finals and university admissions.

Speaking at the Secretariat on Saturday after a meeting on transfer policies for MPO-listed teachers, Milon emphasised the need to "squeeze" the academic calendar.

The minister highlighted a recurring trend where students wait nearly a year after their HSC exams to complete university admission tests.

He noted that, even now, National University honours admission tests are still under way for students who completed their higher secondary examinations months earlier.

“We want examinations to be completed as soon as the syllabus and curriculum are finished, followed immediately by admission tests,” Milon said.

“We don’t want students to face a massive gap that disrupts their studies. We are working on these changes daily.”

The education minister said the government’s target is to ensure "two years of study are completed in exactly two years", aiming to end the culture of students wasting years due to administrative delays or waiting for board schedules.

Traditionally, SSC exams were held in February, but the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent political shifts -- including the 2024 July Uprising -- disrupted the academic calendar.

While the 2024 exams briefly returned to February, the 2025 exams were delayed to April due to Ramadan and Eid, and the 2026 exams began on Apr 21.

“Our target is to finish the syllabus by then so admission tests can follow without any gap, which would also discourage students from flocking to coaching centres,” Milon added.