The start of the SSC and equivalent examinations 2024 is scheduled for February 15, according to the recently released exam timetable.
More than two million examinees are expected to sit for the exams this time.
The schedule was officially announced by Deputy Secretary Syed A Z Morshed Ali in a circular on Thursday. The exams are scheduled to kick off with the Bangla 1st paper. Dhaka Education Board Chairman Prof. Tapan Kumar Sarkar told the media that the SSC and equivalent examinations will start simultaneously across the country from February 15, and will end on March 12. As usual, the routine has been published on the website of the education board.
Convener of Inter-Education Board Exam Control Committee and Dhaka Education Board Exam Controller Professor Md. Abul Bashar in a notification said that after the theoretical exam, the practical exam will be held from March 13 to 27.
According to DSHE sources, physical education, health science and sports and career education subjects will be provided by the educational institutions to the respective centers through continuous assessment as per the guidelines of National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).
The concerned center will send the marks obtained in the continuous assessment along with the practical test marks online on the board website.
A candidate's examination of creative/composite (theoretical), multiple choice and practical will not be held in his/her school or institute. The same admit card should be used for the candidate's appearance in creative/compositional (theoretical), multiple choice and practical tests.
The practical test will be held at respective centres/venues. No other person/examinee can bring and use mobile phones in the examination center except the center secretary. Candidates can use a general scientific calculator in the exam.
It is to be noted that due to the coronavirus epidemic, the SSC and equivalent examinations of 2021, 2022 and (current year) 2023 started on April 30, accommodating 20,72,163 students, with more than 3,412 centers. Among them, boy students were 10,23,212, and girls, 10,08,687. So, 14,525 more boys than girls are attended the school level exam. At that time, the examination time and marks were reduced in a short syllabus.
Last year's results were published on July 28, approximately 60 days after the conclusion of the examinations. The upcoming SSC 2024 exams are designed to return to a more regular academic calendar.
In 2023, the number of students taking the exam increased by 2,45,286 compared to the previous year. The examination was conducted by ten education boards in Bangladesh, with 16,27,378 students from the General Education Board, 2,89,752 from the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB), and 1,14,769 from the Technical Education Board Bangladesh. Additionally, 458 students participated from abroad.
Dr. Mohammad Ali Zinnah, a professor at the Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, informed Bangladesh Post that the upcoming examination, based on the 2012 curriculum, will cover the full syllabus. He expressed concern about the potential negative impact of recent political unrest, hartal situations, and the upcoming JS polls on the psychological well-being of examinees.
In anticipation of the upcoming exams, Education Minister Dipu Moni disclosed in August that the SSC exams would commence in February, with HSC and equivalent exams following in April.
The Education Minister emphasized the commitment to establishing a stable academic calendar after recent disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.