HSC and equivalent exams begin Thursday

The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations are beginging Thursday after a break of a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has issued an order to complete the investigation properly.

A circular signed by DMP Commissioner M Shafiqul Islam said that as part of the restriction, the public is barred from entering all the centers within 200 yards except the examinees. This order will remain in force on examination days.

This year's examination, which will have fewer subjects and a shortened syllabus, is being held eight months later than the usual schedule as the government waited for the coronavirus transmission to come under control.

The examinees will have to take tests only in three optional subjects. They will not have to sit tests in compulsory subjects like Bangla and English. The exams will carry fewer marks.

According to the instructions of the Department of Secondary and Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, at least 30 minutes before the start of the examination, the candidates have to enter the center and take seats. The instruction requested that not more than one parent be allowed to take a student to the center. Every student must wear the mask as part of health guideline.

The examinations for 2020 did not take place last year, with the results prepared based on the candidates' performance in previous public examinations.

The HSC exams will end on December 30.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni urged all to maintain Covid-19 health guidelines during the examination as the new highly transmissible Omicron variant is looming large.

The number of examinees in this year's HSC and its equivalent exams has gone up by 33,901 from last year. About 14 lakh students are expected to sit this year's tests. Of them, 7.30 lakh are boys and 6.70 lakh are girls.

About 11.4 lakh students will participate in the exams under nine general education boards, 1.13 lakh under the madrasa education board and 1.48 lakh under the technical education board.

SSC and JSC tests will be taken into consideration while preparing the HSC results for this year.

MMA/