This year Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations will not be held and candidates will be evaluated on their respective results in the Junior School Certificate (JSC) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations.
Education Minister Dipu Moni made the disclosure to journalists at a virtual press conference on Wednesday.
The results of evaluation of candidates will be published by December this year, so that the university admission process can start from January, she said.
The Minister said, “The decision has been made keeping in mind the well-being of the examinees and their family members across the country. If the exams are taken following all the hygiene rules amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of exam centres need to be doubled.”
Dr Dipu Moni said, “Those who have changed the group/department may think that their assessment will not be correct. We have formed an expert committee to evaluate the results. An Additional Secretary of the education ministry will be the convener of this committee.
The chairman of the Dhaka Education Board, who is the coordinator of all the boards, will be the member secretary of the advisory committee.”
Regarding other members of the committee, she said, “The committee will have one representative each from Dhaka University, BUET, National University, Bureau of Health Education and Chairman of Technical and Madrasa Education Board.”
Replying to a query, the minister said, “The results of candidates could not be better due to many reasons including illness. There may be many questions like what could happen, or what could not. There is no scope for considering them all.”
“We have two public examination results. If we want to go for other types of assessment, it is not possible at this moment as more than 13 lakh candidates are involved. Again you can question whether I will evaluate the test results. There are many kinds of problems there too,” she added.
Asked, what percentage of marks would be taken from JSC and SSC in the assessment, the minister said it would be decided by the advisory committee.
Regarding the university admission system, she said, “We hope that we will be able to conduct all types of university exams in a uniform/combined manner this time. The decision on how the university admission test will be conducted will be made after discussing with the university authorities concerned and considering the coronavirus situation at that time.”
Meanwhile, more than 13 lakh students were expected to sit for the HSC and its equivalent examinations that were scheduled to start from April 1.
Earlier in August, the government postponed the Primary Education Completion (PEC) and Junior School Certificate (JSC), and the equivalent examinations for this year due to the covid-19 pandemic.
On 16 March, the education ministry announced the closure of all educational institutions, considering the students’ overall safety amid the pandemic. After that, in several phases, the closure has been extended till October 30.
