The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations have officially begun across Bangladesh from Thursday, June 26. The exams started at 10:00 AM and continued until 1:00 PM.
A total of 1,251,111 students are participating under 11 education boards. Among them, 618,015 are male and 633,096 are female candidates. The examinations are being held at 2,797 centers nationwide.
On the first day, students under the nine general education boards are taking the Bangla First Paper exam. Under the Madrasah Board, students are appearing for the Alim Quran Majid exam, while technical board students are sitting for the HSC (BM/BMT) examinations.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 concerns, strict health protocols have been implemented in all centers. Wearing masks is mandatory for everyone present at the exam venues.
The breakdown of examinees by board is as follows: Dhaka has the highest number of candidates with 291,241 students, followed by Rajshahi with 133,242, Jashore with 116,317, and Dinajpur with 103,832. Cumilla has 101,750 candidates, while Chattogram has 100,135. Mymensingh has 78,273 students, Sylhet has 69,683, and Barishal has the fewest among the general boards with 61,025 examinees.
In addition, 86,102 students are appearing under the Madrasah Board, and 109,611 under the Technical Education Board.
This year’s total number of candidates is 81,882 fewer than the previous year.
To ensure safety and hygiene, the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee has issued several guidelines.
These include mandatory use of masks, availability of hand sanitizers at all centers, and enhanced mosquito control measures to prevent dengue. Cleanliness around exam centers and the spraying of mosquito repellent before the start of exams have been made compulsory.
Medical teams are active at every center. Additionally, law enforcement agencies have been instructed to prevent crowding near exam centers and to maintain order. Awareness campaigns have also been initiated to ensure public cooperation during the examination period.
