Online Desk 

Following widespread criticism from students and parents over holding the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations amid heavy rainfall and severe waterlogging, the government has taken a policy decision to stop conducting public examinations during the monsoon season from next year.

Abdul Khaleque, Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division under the Ministry of Education, said that the ministry is revising the public examination calendar under the instruction of the Education Minister. Under the proposed schedule, SSC and equivalent examinations will be held in January, while HSC and equivalent examinations will be conducted between March and April. The goal is to gradually restore the public examination schedule to align with the normal academic calendar.

He said that conducting examinations during the rainy season creates significant difficulties for students, parents, and administrators alike. The revised calendar is intended to prevent such challenges in the future.

Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon also informed Parliament that the government is working on a new examination timetable. He said the initiative aims to restructure the academic year in line with international standards, reduce the loss of instructional time, and restore normal academic activities.

Bangladesh's public examination schedule underwent major changes following the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 HSC examination was cancelled, and students were awarded auto-pass. The HSC examinations were later held in December 2021, November 2022, August 2023, and late June 2025. This year, the examinations were initially scheduled to begin on June 7, but were postponed to July 2 following demands from students and parents, placing the exams in the middle of the monsoon season.

Education experts say weather conditions and disaster risks should be key considerations when determining the national examination schedule. Professor Mohammad Mojibur Rahman of the Institute of Education and Research at the University of Dhaka said it is unacceptable for students to wade through waist-deep water to reach examination centres, as such conditions undermine equal and fair testing opportunities.

Jesmin Taslima Banu, Convener of the Inter-Education Board Examination Controllers' Committee, said changing the schedule of the ongoing examinations is administratively very difficult because nearly 1.3 million candidates are participating.

Meanwhile, Professor Syed Akhtaruzzaman, Chairman of the Dhaka Education Board, said the examinations had originally been planned for June 7, but were postponed by nearly a month in response to requests from students and parents, resulting in this year's exams being held during the peak of the rainy season.