The HSC and equivalent examinations of 2024 – partially postponed during the quota reform movement under Boishommo Birodhi Chhatra Andolon – have been cancelled. The interim government took this decision in the face of demands pressed home by candidates on Tuesday.
Dhaka Education Board Chairman Professor Tapan Kumar Sarkar made the disclosure on Tuesday afternoon, adding that the Ministry of Education has accepted the demand of HSC examinees to not take the postponed examinations.
“Therefore, the examination of the pending subjects has been declared cancelled.”
He however added that even though the postponed HSC exams have been cancelled, an alternative evaluation process will be announced later.
Since Tuesday morning, candidates had gathered in front of the Ministry of Education at the secretariat seeking cancellation of the pending HSC and equivalent exams. Later that noon, hundreds of students entered the secretariat to press home their demands.
Later on behalf of the students, a ten-member delegation of students entered the Ministry of Education to present a memorandum to Education Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud and discuss the matter with him.
Meanwhile, Hasnat Abdullah, one of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, had assured the protesting students of a peaceful solution.
Note that this year's HSC and equivalent exams began from June 30. The quota reform movement later started from July 1, but during the period, several exams of various boards –including seven exams of Dhaka Board – were completed.
However, as the protests gradually intensified, HSC and equivalent examinations were suspended several times due to the ongoing unrest.
On Tuesday, before the latest decision to cancel postponed HSC exams was made, Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud had chaired an emergency meeting.
At that meeting, it was decided that the number of questions for the postponed papers in HSC and equivalent exams will be halved for this year. For example, if a postponed paper had eight questions in the exam, it would be reduced to four.
