The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations begin across Bangladesh today (Thursday), with 1.27 million candidates sitting for one of the country's most important public examinations. A total of 1,270,583 regular and irregular students from 11 education boards will take the exams at 2,697 centres nationwide.
After several years of shortened syllabuses introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's examinations will be held under the full syllabus. The Bangla First Paper examination will commence at 10:00 a.m., and candidates have been instructed to enter their examination centres at least 30 minutes before the start of the test.
The government has adopted stringent security measures to ensure fair and malpractice-free examinations. CCTV cameras have been installed at every examination centre, while police personnel on duty will wear body-worn cameras to strengthen monitoring and accountability. A central monitoring cell at the Ministry of Education will supervise examination activities across the country in real time. Public access within 200 yards of examination centres has also been restricted, except for candidates and authorised personnel.
Education and Primary Education Adviser Dr. A.N.M. Ehsanul Haque Milon warned that strict action would be taken against any form of cheating or misconduct, including disciplinary measures against the heads of institutions if irregularities occur.
According to official statistics, female candidates outnumber males this year, with 648,614 girls and 621,969 boys participating in the nationwide examinations.