SM Mizanur Rahman :Besides indefinite blockade, Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led 20-party alliance’s call for 72-hour nationwide hartal from tomorrow (Sunday) intensified uncertainty among Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinees, guardians and teachers. The SSC and its equivalent examinations of 2015 are scheduled to begin Monday with participation of 14,79,666 students and conclude on March 10. The examinations will begin simultaneously under the country’s 10 education boards, including one of madrasah and another technical board. “When a sense of dread always grip us, the fresh 72-hour hartal just ahead of my son’s SSC examination has made me upset. How and in what way I shall send my son to the examination center amid violence,” Rafiqul Islam, a guardian of city’s Uttara told The New Nation on Friday. A total of 11,12,591 students will participate in the SSC examination under eight general education boards. As many as 2,56,380 students will appear in the Dhakhil examinations while 1,10,295 students will participate in the SSC (vocational) examination. The examinees will be 3,116 exam centres across the country.The government vowed to continue the SSC examinations despite blockade but the latest 72-hour non-stop nationwide hartal just a day before of the beginning of SSC examination created fresh agony and uncertainty among the examinees and their guardians. Nazmul Haque, professor, Institute of Education and Research (IER), Dhaka University, accused the political party of waging such destructive programme, saying the parties, which want to destroy the country’s education sector should be dealt with iron hand.Meanwhile, Awami League senior leader Suranjit Sen Gupta on Friday at a discussion said if the BNP-led 20-party alliance does not withdraw the on going programme considering the fate of 16 lakh SSC examinees, the government would compel to think ‘Constitutional and administrative alternative.Talking to this reporter state minister for home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal renewed his call to the BNP chairperson to refrain from burning people to death, warned Khaleda Zia of dire consequences if she does not stop such acts as SSC examinations schedule to be begun on February 2.”We request you (Khaleda) to stop burning people and withdraw the hartal and blockade considering the fate of SSC examinees. Or else, you’ll face the dire consequences. No one will be spared if the SCC examines come under attack,” he said. Earlier on Thursday, the education minister Nurul Islam Nahid said, in no uncertain terms, that the SSC exams would be held as scheduled, and urged the BNP-led 20-Party Alliance to shun blockade programmes, considering the importance of the exams and the future of the students.”For Allah’s sake and for humanity’s sake, make arrangements for our students, so that they are able to go to the exam centres without fear,” he said.
