HSC exams: Education board chairmen to meet on Sep 24

HSC exams: Education board chairmen to meet on Sep 24

The chairmen of all the education boards are set to meet on Thursday (September 24) to discuss several issues, including ways to hold the Higher Secondary Education (HSC) and equivalent exams, which have been deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Describing it as a pre-scheduled and regular meeting, Inter-Education Board Coordination Sub-Committee President Prof Md Ziaul Huq said on Friday that the matter of the HSC exams is likely to be discussed at the meeting.

"The matter can be on the agenda as we have been discussing it in our regular meetings," said Ziaul, also the chairman of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka.

He, however, said that the meeting was not called only to discuss the examination issue.

The meeting is scheduled at 2pm on that day at the conference room of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka.

Prof Md Abdus Salam, chairman of Comilla Education Board, also said the issue of HSC examinations, among others, is on the agenda.

"We will send a proposal to the Ministry of Education after discussing the issue and the ministry will take its decision later," he said.

The HSC and equivalent exams, which were slated for April 1, were postponed on March 22, two weeks after Bangladesh reported its first three Covid-19 cases.

In June, the Inter-Education Board Coordination Sub-Committee urged everyone not to be distracted by a fake schedule of the examinations circulating on social media.

Earlier on March 16, the government decided to keep all the educational institutions closed from March 17 to 31, aiming to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Later, the Education Ministry extended the time of the closure till October 3 in phases though the Qawmi madrasas were allowed to reopen.

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic also forced the government to cancel Junior School Certificate (JSC) and Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) examinations this year.

Prof Salam said certificate evaluation of eighth graders will also be discussed on the day (September 24) following the cancellation of the exams.

Due to the pandemic, the government cancelled the Primary Education Completion (PEC) examination this year.