SSC results before Eid, HSC exams afterwards

The results of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent exams will be published before Eid-ul-Fitr, but the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams may be held after Eid.

This year the ministry will not hold a press conference to announce the results. Instead, students will receive their grade point average on their cell phones, according to relevant sources.

"We are working to publish the SSC and equivalent exam results as soon as possible. We have not decided on a specific date yet, but, for sure, it will be published before Eid-ul-Fitr," Professor Syed Md Golam Faruk, director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education told The Business Standard on Wednesday.

Officials concerned said, for the first time in the last eight years, the ministry has failed to publish the results within 60 days of completion of a public exam.

Last year, the SSC and equivalent exam results were published on May 6.

Professor Ziaul Haque, chairman of the Dhaka Education Board, told The Business Standard that the evaluation of scripts is almost complete. "We now need to collect OMR (Optical Mark Reader) sheets of relevant courses."

"We had a plan to publish the results on May 7, but could not because of the Covid-19 situation. However, we are determined to publish it before Eid," he said.

This year, the SSC and equivalent exams began on February 3, with the theoretical and practical tests ending on February 27 and March 6 respectively.

Around 2,050,000 students took part in the SSC and equivalent exams at over 3,500 centres from around 29,000 educational institutions across the country.

Almost 80 percent of the candidates took the SSC exams under nine general education boards. Over 13 percent sat for the Dakhil exams under the Madrasa Education Board and around 7 percent appeared for vocational exams under the Bangladesh Technical Education Board.

HSC exams after Eid

Meanwhile, the education ministry is also planning to hold this year's HSC and equivalent exams after the Eid even if the coronavirus situation does not improve.

Professor Syed Md Golam Faruk, director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, said, "It is already quite late. We have failed to hold the HSC and equivalent tests in time. But we are determined to organise it after the Eid by ensuring social distancing."

The ministry, however, is yet to decide how the exams will be organised.

About 11-13 lakh students are expected to sit for this year's exams which were earlier scheduled to be held at over 9,000 educational institutions under 10 education boards – eight general, one madrasah and one technical.

Dhaka Education Board Chairman Ziaul Haque said on Wednesday that actually the country has no suitable atmosphere to hold the exams.

"The situation is not favourable for the exams because coronavirus cases are increasing day by day. That is why we have a plan to hold it after the Eid," he said.

A new schedule will be published at least one week before the beginning of the exams, he said.

The exams slated initially for April 1 were postponed on March 22 over the fear of the spread of coronavirus.

On March 16, the government declared the shutdown of all educational institutions from March 17, which was extended until April 25.

Schools and colleges will remain closed until May 31 for the Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr vacation if the government does not cancel or shorten the vacation.