2.3m students worried over SSC exams

Around 2.3 million examinees under 11 education boards across the country are worried over their Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Usually, the SSC exam is held in February every year but the government is yet to fix any date for holding the exam this year due to the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.

The students who will sit for this year’s SSC and equivalent exams are still in the dark about the fate of their exams as they are not sure when the schools will reopen and their exams will be held.

Education board officials, however, said there is nothing to be worried regarding the SSC exams. Whenever it is possible to reopen the schools, classes will be taken for 60 working days before the SSC exams. Then, the SSC and equivalent examinations will be held after 15 more days.

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has already made a shortened syllabus for the SSC and equivalent examinations and the questions papers of the exams will be prepared on the basis of the curtailed syllabus, they said

Shajareen Mirza Sneha who will sit for the SSC exam this year from Monipur School and College in Dhaka went to the school for only the first three months of last year while the school could not open for a single day this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are worried over the SSC exam of my daughter as it is not sure when her school will reopen and when the exam will be held amid the pandemic,” said Sneha’s mother Selina Aktar.

“My daughter is passing a hard time as her school remained closed since March 17 last year. We are supporting her to keep mental health strong amid the long-time closure of the school,” she added

Like Sneha, the stories of 2.3 million SSC and equivalent examinees under all the 11 education boards across the country are same.

Prof Nehal Ahmed, chairman of Dhaka Education Board, said, “The SSC exams would not be taken without holding classes. So there is nothing to be worried about the exam. The SSC exam will be held only after teaching the students of the syllabus.”

Dhaka board sources said around 2.3 million students, including five lakh examinees under Dhaka Education Board, will sit for this year’s SSC and equivalent exams across the country. The form fill up activities are yet to be completed for the exam.

According to the Education Ministry, the government took a decision to reopen schools and colleges on May 23 while the public and private universities will be reopened on May 24 after Eid-ul-fitr.

Then, the government will hold the SSC exam after conducting classes for 60 working days and the examination is likely to be held at the end of August.

Rajshahi Education Board Chairman Prof Makbul Hossain said, “We have taken preparations for SSC exams. But everything will depend on the situation. The boards have started communicating with BG Press for preparing the question papers.”

Chittagong Education Board Chairman Prof Pradeep Chakraborty said they have completed all preparations for holding the examinations and they want to publish the SSC exam result through holding the exam.

He also said, “We have been informed by the education ministry that the SSC exam will be taken after taking 60 days’ classes after reopening of the school. We are still based on that decision.”

A meeting will be held after lockdown with the chairmen of all education boards with the education minister in this regard, said Prof Pradeep.

Barishal Education Board Chairman Prof Md Yunus said, “We have already prepared the questions papers and we are also ready to hold the SSC exam following the instruction of the government.”