This year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination and equivalent examinations are likely to begin on July 9, 2023.
An official of Dhaka Education Board told Bangladesh Post on Saturday (March 25) that they are taking preparations in this regard, taking the matter into consideration that the HSC and its equivalent examinations of 2023 may be held from July 9.
There was a possibility of starting the HSC exam in June. However, it is not possible to start the HSC 2023 examination in June due to elections to five city corporations in the country and the Eid-ul-Azha.
The elections to five city corporations-- Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, Barishal and Gazipur-- will be held between May 23 and June 29. The Eid-ul-Azha may be celebrated on June 30.
The Election Commission has planned to hold the elections to five city corporations before the Eid-ul-Azha and HSC exams and after the end of SSC examinations. Regarding the elections in five cities, Jahangir Alam, secretary of EC Secretariat, said that the EC is preparing to hold the elections to five city corporations between May and June.
He said that they have the information that the HSC exam will likely begin in the beginning of July. On the other hand, the Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated at the end of June. That is why the initial decision has been taken to hold elections in five cities in three phases between May 23 and June 29 after the SSC examination and before the HCS examination.
Prof Tapan Kumar Sarker, chairman of Dhaka Education Board and chief of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee said that the SSC and HSC exams had to be taken much later than the usual time due to Covid-19 situation. The exam time is gradually being brought back to the earlier time. In continuation of that, it is planned to begin the HSC examinations from July 8 to 10 this year, he added.
This year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations will be held on all subjects and with full marks. The examination period will be three hours on rearranged syllabuses by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the SSC and equivalent examinations used to take place in February and the HSC and equivalent examinations in April every year.
In 2020, SSC examinations were completed before Covid-19 break and the HSC and equivalent examinees were awarded grade points using the subject-mapping method without holding the examinations. In 2021, the SSC examinations were held in November and the HSC exams in December.
