The government on Thursday suspended the Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent examinations on July 21, July 23 and July 25 amid the ongoing student protests demanding quota reform.
The Bangladesh Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee under the education ministry issued a notice, stating that the ongoing HSC and equivalent examinations under all 11 boards, scheduled for July 21, July 23 and July 25, had been suspended.
The new schedule for the exams will be announced later, and the exams on July 28 will proceed as scheduled, read the notice.
Earlier on July 16, the committee suspended the examinations under all 11 boards, scheduled for July 18.
Bangladesh’s education system came to a standstill as the government announced the indefinite closure of all primary, secondary, higher secondary and tertiary-level educational institutions amid students’ protests.
A press release, issued by the education ministry on July 16, stated that classroom activities in all secondary, higher secondary, and polytechnic educational institutions would be suspended until further notice, considering the safety of the students.
On July 16, the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh requested all the country’s public and private universities to keep institutions closed and vacate students’ residential halls until further notice.
The National University also announced to close all its tertiary-level colleges and educational institutions for an indefinite period in the same night.
On July 17, the primary and mass education ministry in a press release said that considering the safety of the children, the classroom activities in all government primary schools, Children Welfare Trust-operated primary schools and the Bureau of Non-Formal Education-operated learning centres under city corporations in eight divisional cities would remain closed until further notice.
On Thursday, guardians of some educational institutions, including the Ideal School and College and Dhaka Residential Model College in the capital, received messages from the authorities for not allowing students at any ‘unexpected activities’ or not allowing students to attend the ongoing protest wearing school dresses, some guardians alleged.
In a press release issued on Thursday, the Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh, a platform of the entrepreneurs of the private universities, expressed concern over the current situation.
Expressing mourn over the deaths in the ongoing protest, they demanded justice and urged the students to stay away from the propaganda of the vested quarters.
Following the indefinite work abstention, demanding the cancellation of the universal pension scheme ‘Prattay’, academic and almost all administrative activities in public universities have been halted since July 1.
