Dhaka board Chairman resigns amid student protests for HSC results reevaluation

In response to ongoing protests from students demanding a reevaluation of their HSC results, Dhaka Board Chairman Prof. Tapan Kumar Sarkar announced his resignation on Sunday.

The decision followed a tense standoff where students confined board officials, including the chairman, while insisting on the cancellation of their results.

In an interview with media last night, Prof. Tapan explained that the students were seeking an "auto pass," a request that falls outside the board‍‍`s authority. 

“We adhered to the education ministry’s guidelines in evaluating and publishing the results. However, I decided to resign. I informed the students that I would present my resignation letter and their demands to the education minister today,” he stated.

Earlier in the day, students forcibly entered the board premises by breaking the locks on the main gate around 1:00pm. 

Board officials accused them of vandalizing furniture, including tables and chairs, and witnesses reported clashes as protesters attempted to access the chairman’s office.

By 3:00pm, students alleged they were attacked while trying to enter the office, resulting in several injuries. In retaliation, they organized a sit-in to emphasize their demands.

As of 9:30pm, approximately 25-30 board officials, including the chairman, were still confined inside the building, with police and military personnel deployed to maintain order.

The HSC and equivalent exam results were released on October 15. This year, students took only half of their exams, with the remainder of their results based on their Secondary School Certificate performance.

Before marching to the Dhaka Board, students convened at Central Shaheed Minar around 12:30 PM, alleging that the results were "discriminatory" and calling for a recalculation of their grades. 

They claimed that inaccuracies in subject mapping and improper evaluation of answer scripts led to unfair grading, vowing to continue their protests until their results are reassessed.

Similar protests have erupted in other educational boards. In Chattogram, HSC candidates gathered at the Chattogram Education Board around 11:00am, chanting slogans about result discrimination. 

Police and military personnel intervened to restore law and order by 4:30pm.

In Jashore, hundreds of students accused the Jashore Education Board of issuing "fake results," asserting that many failed despite an easier English exam. The board dismissed these allegations as "baseless."

Students in Cumilla and Mymensingh also called for a reevaluation of their results, with protests continuing into the evening as no resolution was reached.

This year’s HSC exams, which began on June 30, faced disruptions due to protests over the July quota reform. 

Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, the interim government rescheduled the exams, and the results were published on October 15, showing a pass rate of 77.78 percent.