HSC results likely next week

The education ministry may publish the results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations next week.

Sources said the ministry needs a new ordinance to announce the results.

The ministry has prepared the draft ordinance and will submit it to the next cabinet meeting. It will then be sent to the law ministry for vetting.

The draft will be submitted to the president for approval.

Wishing anonymity, a ministry official told The Business Standard that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would announce the results after the ordinance was issued, and the ministry would try to get her nod next week.

The ministry has moved to announce the results next week, he said.

Professor Nehal Ahmed, chairman of Dhaka education board and member secretary of the result preparation committee, said they were ready to submit the results to the ministry.

"We need to have a meeting of the technical committee after the ordinance is passed," he said.

On 29 December last year, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni said the results were ready and they were waiting for the declaration of a new ordinance as the existing law did not support the announcement of results without exams.

Earlier on 7 October that year, the minister announced that the HSC results would be published by December.

Meanwhile, public and private universities are waiting for the results as they will prepare to admit students after the announcement of the results.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (academic) of the University of Dhaka Professor ASM Maksud Kamal told The Business Standard they were yet to start the admission process.

"Our decision to admit students depends on publication of the results," he said.

Professor Dr Chowdhury Mofizur Rahman, vice-chancellor of United International University, said they had faced many problems as the announcement of the HSC results had been delayed.

"We will be able to come out of the financial crisis if we can admit new students as early as possible," he said.

Last year's HSC tests were scheduled to be held from 1 April at over 9,000 educational institutions under 10 education boards – eight general boards, one madrasah board and one technical education board. About 13 lakh students were ready to take the tests.

But the government later decided not to hold the tests due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. They decided to publish the results based on students' Junior School Certificate (JSC) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) scores instead.

Moreover, because of the pandemic, it was decided that Primary School Certificate (PSC) and JSC students would be promoted automatically while pupils of all other grades from primary to secondary level would be allowed to advance to the next grade the same way as well.

On 16 March last year, the ministry issued a press release, announcing the government's decision to close all educational institutions and coaching centres from 18-31 March, taking into consideration students' safety amid the global pandemic.

Classes have remained suspended since then, but administrative activities gradually resumed.

The ministry extended the school closure on several occasions – first till 9 April, then 25 April, 5 May, 30 May, 6 August, 31 August, 3 October, 31 October, 14 November, 19 December, and finally till 16 January this year.