MM Jasim :The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations will begin on April 1 amid indefinite blockade called by Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led 20 party alliance. The education ministry had been determined to hold the HSC and its equivalent examinations as per earlier announced routine even if the hartal continues but it has to postpone the examinations scheduled for April 26, 27, 28 and 29 considering the upcoming Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations elections.The HSC examinees would be fallen in trouble if the examination dates are deferred for any reason whatsoever, the education ministry sources said. The officials of the education ministry said that the ministry directed all the education boards to take preparation to hold the examinations in time. No date of any examination would be changed, the official of education ministry earlier had said. The HSC and its equivalent examinations of 2015 are scheduled to begin on April 1 with participation of twelve lakh. The examinations will begin simultaneously under the country’s 10 education boards, including one of madrasah and another technical board.The elections to three city corporations of Dhaka and Chittagong will be held on April 28.”We have postponed the HSC and its equivalent examinations scheduled for April 26, 27, 28 and 29 due to the upcoming Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations elections,” Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid told journalists at his secretariat office in city.In the morning the education ministry held a meeting with the members of law enforcing agencies to discuss the law and order situation during the examination at the education ministry’s conference room.Nurul Islam Nahid said that the fresh dates for the examinations would be announced later. “Earlier the election commission had requested the education ministry to reschedule the examinations dates for five days. But we have decided to reschedule the examinations dates for four days,” he said.He said the education ministry is vowed to start the HSC and its equivalent examinations on April 1 amid blockade and hartal.”Braving all sorts of odds and obstacle we are set to begin HSC and its equivalent examinations under 10 education boards across the country from April 1. The HSC and equivalent examinations will be held as per schedule despite hartals and blockade,” expressing determination, the Education Minister said.He said the members of intelligence branch would have a close vigil during the examinations in order to thwart any attempt for question leakage.Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said that no hartal is being observed in the country. The situation of the country is normal. The people have rejected the hartal of BNP-led 20-party. So, we can take the examinations during the hartal. “We have decided and directed all the board chairmen and related officials to take preparation for holding the examinations in time. We will not wait for the weekends,” he said. “No doubt that the violent political programme like the hartal hampers the education system. No one expects the hartal and like the programme during the public examinations,” Nahid said. The Minister said, “The examinations are not for a party’s children. It is the national examinations. So, no body has the right to impede the examinations in the name of political movement. Dhaka Board Chairman Professor M Abu Bakar Siddique told The New Nation that they have already completed all the preparations to hold the examinations. He said that the Dhaka Board would try its level best to take the examinations. “About 12 lakh students will take part in the HSC examinations. Near about 50 lakh people are related to the process. So, the BNP-led 20-party alliance should withdraw their hartal and blockade programme during the examinations in the interest of the country’s future generation. I also urge all the political parties in the country not to hold any political programme which may badly affect the country’s overall development,” the Chairman said. It may be mentioned that the Education Minister told the media days before the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) that the dates of SSC examinations would not be changed. He echoed the same even just two days before the examinations. But a day before the examinations he announced the new date of the examinations. The theoretical part of HSC and equivalent examinations are set to start from Apr 1 and end on June 11.Exams of 37 subjects in SSC and 41 in HSC were rescheduled due to BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami coalition’s shutdowns in 2013. 17 exams of JSC and JDC level and two exams of primary and Ebtadayee exams were also postponed.A number of these exams were postponed last year also due to BNP shutdowns.
