The government has shifted Wednesday’s SSC and equivalent examinations to February 27, after the BNP-led 20-party alliance extended its ongoing hartal till Friday.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid announced the new schedule at an emergency press conference in Sylhet on Tuesday.
“To us, the lives of the examinees are more important than the exams. Considering their security, we have shifted tomorrow’s exams to February 27 [Friday].”
Earlier in the day, the BNP-led 20-party alliance extended its ongoing 72-hour hartal till Friday morning.
Salahuddin Ahmed, joint secretary general of the BNP, issued a press release, announcing the countrywide general strike will now continue until 6am on Friday.
The BNP-led alliance has been observing the strike, protesting the killings, mass arrests and torture of party activists, and the “restoration of democracy.”
Previously, the exams of February 2, 4, 8, 10, and 15 had to be recheduled, and the February 12 exams postponed, because of the hartal.
This year, around 1.5 million students are taking the SSC and equivalent exams.
The government and the guardians of examinees have called upon the BNP and its partners to call a hartal, barring exam days, but that call has never been heeded.
Examinees have also repeatedly said their preparations get botched when exams are rescheduled.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
