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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s Adviser on Education and Primary and Mass Education, Mahdi Amin, on Wednesday announced five student-friendly measures to address concerns surrounding the ongoing Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations amid recent adverse weather conditions.
The announcement came as students continued demonstrations in Dhaka and several other districts for a second consecutive day, demanding a re-examination of Monday’s HSC tests and other reforms.
In a Facebook post titled “Five Student-Friendly Measures for Smooth Conduct of HSC and Equivalent Examinations,” Mahdi Amin said Wednesday’s examinations had been held peacefully at 2,583 centres across the country, except under the Chattogram Education Board, where examinations had already been postponed.
He said weather conditions had improved significantly and students participated in the examinations with enthusiasm.
“The elected government has taken timely and student-friendly initiatives to overcome the challenges created by the recent adverse weather,” he said.
Outlining the government’s decisions, Mahdi Amin said the first measure was to continue examinations nationwide, except under the Chattogram Education Board, based on unanimous recommendations from divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, police superintendents, education board chairpersons, officials of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department and other stakeholders, while giving priority to the interests of the overwhelming majority of students.
As the second measure, he said local administrations had been authorised to take immediate decisions, including changing examination centres, postponing examinations or extending examination time wherever transportation disruptions or waterlogging created difficulties for candidates.
The third decision allows students who were unable to sit any HSC or equivalent examination because of adverse weather or unavoidable circumstances to take those examinations later using the same question papers prepared for the postponed Chattogram Education Board examinations. The Education Ministry will announce the dates and schedule.
Mahdi Amin also announced that all candidates would receive full marks for the two erroneous questions in the Physics First Paper examination.
In addition, officials responsible for preparing the flawed Physics First Paper question paper have been suspended temporarily pending further action.
The adviser said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman considers the HSC examination to be far more than a public examination.
“To the Prime Minister, the HSC examination is not just a test. It is a crucial milestone in shaping the future of those who will build tomorrow’s Bangladesh,” he wrote.
He said the government remains fully committed to conducting the examinations with the highest level of responsibility while ensuring students’ welfare and protecting the continuity of their education.
The announcement comes amid growing public debate over the government’s handling of the examination schedule following heavy rainfall and flooding in several parts of the country, which disrupted travel for thousands of candidates earlier this week.