The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations will begin tomorrow, with more than 18.57 lakh students scheduled to take part nationwide, marking a decline from last year’s figures.
According to the routine, written examinations under the general education boards will start at 10:00am with the Bangla first paper. The written phase will continue until May 20, followed by practical examinations from June 7 to June 14.
In a notice signed on April 18, the Dhaka Education Board instructed centre secretaries to permit examinees to enter the premises from 8:30am, in an effort to ease traffic congestion and reduce public inconvenience around examination centres.
Education board data show the number of examinees has dropped by around 79,000 compared to last year, when approximately 19.36 lakh students appeared.
The data further indicate a significant number of registered candidates are not taking part this year. Of the 18.95 lakh students registered two years ago as regular candidates, only 14.48 lakh have enrolled for the examinations.
The total number of candidates, including both regular and irregular examinees, stands at over 18.57 lakh.
Of them, more than 14.18 lakh are appearing under nine general education boards, over three lakh under the Madrasah Education Board, and more than 1.34 lakh under the Technical Education Board.
The examinations will be held at 3,885 centres nationwide.
Earlier, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) issued an 11-point directive to ensure a fair and orderly examination environment.
All centres have been instructed to install CCTV cameras at fixed points or ensure existing systems are fully operational before the examinations begin. Authorities must also ensure uninterrupted power supply for surveillance equipment and maintain signal jammer coverage in every room.
The directive prohibits the use of mobile phones by both teachers and examinees during examinations. Candidates will be searched before entering halls, with female police personnel assigned to search female examinees.
The DSHE has also asked authorities to coordinate with local administrations to ensure adequate security at centres.
It warned that any negligence or failure to implement the directives resulting in proven irregularities would lead to punitive action against centre authorities and officials concerned.
