Students staged a protest in front of the main gate of Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday afternoon, demanding the resignation of the Education Adviser and Education Secretary over the delayed decision to postpone the day’s HSC examinations following the tragic plane crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara.
All entrances to the Secretariat were shut down as a result of the demonstration, halting all traffic around the area.
Around 2:30 PM, students from various educational institutions in Dhaka gathered outside the Secretariat, voicing anger at the government’s indecision.
Junaid Ahmed, an HSC examinee from Cantonment School and College, told the media, “Despite such a massive tragedy at Milestone, today`s exam was not postponed until the early hours of the morning. I was already on my way to the exam center when I learned it had been cancelled. We no longer want such irresponsible education officials.”
Eyewitnesses reported that protesters chanted slogans like “Bogus, bogus” and “Why did my brother die? Administration must answer!” while blocking Gate No. 1 of the Secretariat. Law enforcement personnel have been deployed at all entrances.
Some of the students also came from the Dhaka Education Board office, demanding reevaluation of answer sheets for students who failed the SSC exams.
The chaos has left many vehicles trapped inside the Secretariat. Security forces have taken up a heightened position to prevent further escalation.
The HSC and equivalent exams for July 23 were officially postponed in the early hours of the day—at around 2:45 AM—after a fighter jet crash at the Milestone campus killed at least 31 people and injured over 165.
The postponement was first shared on Facebook by government advisers Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan (Local Government) and Mahfuz Alam (Information), and later confirmed by the Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam around 7:15 AM. The Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee also issued a statement confirming the deferral.
