This year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations begins across the country on Thursday.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid made this announcement at a press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday.
As many as 1,141,374 examinees — 606,293 boys and 535,081 girls — from 8,104 schools will sit for the exams in 2,352 centres under 10 education boards, including madrasa and technical boards.
This time HSC, Alim, HSC (BM), HSC (Vocational) and Diploma-in-Commerce examinations are beginning on April 3, instead of April 1, because of the Upazila Parishad elections.The number of examinees this year has risen to 128,793 from the previous year’s 1,012,581.
The three-hour Bangla 1st Paper exam is scheduled on the first day, starting at 10am on Thursday.
The examinations in the theoretical subjects will end on June 5, while practicals are scheduled to begin on June 7 and continue till June 16.
Nahid told the press that 1,141,374 examinees, including 924,171 under the eight general education boards, 107,557 under the Madrasha Education Board, 104,669 under technical education and 4,977 of the DIBS (Diploma in Business Studies), will take the HSC and the equivalent examinations.
Besides, examinations will be held in five overseas centers in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Riyadh and Tripoli, where 202 students — 91 boys and 111 girls — will sit for the exams.
This year, examinations in 25 subjects will be held under the creative method – a system introduced in 2012.
In 2013, examinations in seven subjects, including Bangla 1st Paper, followed this method.
Nahid said the results would be published within 60 days of the completion of the exams.
About the creative method, he said, “The guardians have realised its importance. The students will gradually become habituated with it. The system makes the students go through the textbooks thoroughly.”
Preparations for holding the exams were complete, the minister said, and hoped they would be peaceful and students would not resort to cheating.
Examinees with disabilities would be given 20 extra minutes to write their answers with the help of scribes.
Director General of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Directorate Prof Fahima Khatun, Chairman of the Dhaka Education Board Prof Taslima Begum, Chairman of the Madrasah Education Board Prof Abul Kashem Miah and high officials of the ministry were present at the press conference.-bdnews24.com
