HSC, equivalent exams results published

The results of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams of 2020 were published on Saturday, reports news agency UNB.

The results were officially announced at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka’s Segunbagicha around 10:30am.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina joined the programme through video conference from her official Gonobhaban residence.

The HSC results were evaluated based on the students’ Junior School Certificate (JSC), and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) results as no exam was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

The results were published after coordinating 75 per cent of the SSC and 25 per cent from the JSC and Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) results, said education minister Dipu Moni recently.

The cabinet earlier approved a draft bill for an amendment to the Intermediate and Secondary Education Ordinance 1961 allowing the education boards to publish results without holding exams amid any crisis.

In October, the education ministry formed a seven-member technical committee, headed by Nazmul Haque Khan, additional secretary of the ministry, for developing a method of evaluating the candidates based on their previous SSC and JSC results.

The HSC batch of 2020 will be the first batch of students who will get certificates without sitting for the exams as it is the first time in Bangladesh history that a public exam has been cancelled.

The government has again extended the closure of educational institutions, except the Qawmi madrasahs, until 14 February as there has been no significant improvement in the coronavirus situation in the country.

Education minister Dipu Moni confirmed it in an official media release on Friday after consultation with others.

The government shut all the schools and educational institutions on 17 March last year after the country confirmed its first COVID-19 cases on 8 March.

The closure was extended several times, most recently until 30 January this year to protect the students from the virus infection.

Bangladesh recorded a daily infection rate of 3.76 per cent with 454 new cases reported until early Friday.

The country saw a daily infection rate of 3.34 per cent on 24 January, 5.49 per cent on 18 January, 4.90 per cent on 14 January, 7.52 per cent on 4 January, and 8.18 per cent on 1 January.

Bangladesh recorded 534,407 infections until 29 January since it reported the first cases on 8 March. And the country’s fatality number rose to 8,094 and death rate to 1.51 per cent, with seven more COVID-19 deaths in the previous 24 hours, since the first fatality was reported on 18 March.

So far, 3,627,413 tests, including 12,075 new ones, have been carried out. The overall infection rate stood at 14.73 per cent, the Directorate General of Health Services said.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina launched a coronavirus vaccination drive at Kurmitola General Hospital in the capital on 27 January.

Health minister Zahid Maleque has said that seven million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are currently available in the country.

For getting a shot, one will have to register on www.surokkha.gov.bd, PMO secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah has said.