The government is facing serious challenges to take a concrete decision about Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations due to the fluctuation of Covid-19 cases in the country.
As the Covid-19 scenario is changing every day, keeping the situation in mind, we think the government should map a plan defining how the SSC and HSC examinations can be taken physically.
The education minister Dipu Moni has already made the government's stand clear, saying staying healthy is more important than losing one year to Covid-19. The government had a plan to hold the SSC and HSC examinations on shortened syllabuses this year after conducting classes for 60 days and 84 days respectively.
But it has not been possible to take classes for the SSC and HSC candidates as the country’s educational institutions remain closed since March 16 last year to prevent the spread of coronavirus. However, the government still wants to hold the SSC and the HSC examinations on shortened syllabuses.
It would not be a wise decision to
promote SSC and HSC candidates
without taking examinations
We have come to know that a decision on holding this year's SSC and HSC exams will be taken soon considering the overall Covid-19 situation. Last year although the SSC exams were held, the authorities had to cancel the HSC exams due to the pandemic. The government then chose to go for an “auto pass” system – a method of evaluation made considering the results of the SSC and the Junior School Certificate exams.
The Covid-19 pandemic has already affected the country’s education sector, throwing the students including SSC and HSC examinees into uncertainty. Therefore, we think the “auto pass” system in the public examinations cannot do a proper judgment as the students who do not perform to the passing standard should not be given a pass.
The government and authorities concerned must put the students under tremendous pressure to continue with their studies as they need to understand the lessons for the next classes. Besides, it would not be a wise decision to promote SSC and HSC candidates without taking examinations for the sake of education and students.