More than 4.22 lakh students who failed one or two subjects in this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations are set to get another chance to pass within this year, without having to wait until the next annual examinations.
Students will be required to retake only the subjects they failed.
The education ministry is also considering extending the opportunity to students who failed three subjects, potentially allowing more candidates to sit the supplementary examinations.
Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon announced the plan at a press conference at the Secretariat on Saturday, following the publication of the HSC and equivalent examination results.
He said the initiative was intended to prevent students from losing an academic year.
According to the minister, 2,98,040 students failed one subject, while another 1,24,865 failed two subjects, bringing the total to 4,22,905.
“We plan to hold supplementary examinations within a maximum of one month to prevent students from losing an academic year,” Milon said.
He said examinations could be arranged within seven or 15 days, but such a short interval might leave students with insufficient time to prepare.
Delaying the examinations for too long, however, could also disrupt university admission procedures, he added.
Exam dates to be announced after re-scrutiny
The answer-script re-scrutiny process must be completed before the supplementary examination schedule can be finalised.
Dhaka Education Board Chairman and Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee President Syed Akhtaruzzaman said students would have one month after the publication of results to apply for re-scrutiny of their answer scripts.
The supplementary examination schedule would be announced after the re-scrutiny results were published.
“Allowing students who failed three or more subjects to sit the examinations could extend the process to three months,” he said.
The education ministry would make the final decision on how many failed subjects would qualify students for the supplementary examinations.
Under the existing system, students who fail one or more subjects in the HSC examinations must wait until the following year to retake them.
They can sit examinations only in the subjects they failed or, if they wish, retake all subjects.
The government has yet to announce the exact dates, application procedures, fees and other rules for the proposed supplementary examinations.
Parents welcome second chance
The announcement has brought relief to students who failed the examinations and their parents.
A parent from Naogaon town told TIMES that the possibility of a supplementary examination had eased the family’s distress over her daughter’s results.
“We never imagined that my daughter would fail. The entire family was devastated by her results,” the parent said.
“But we have heard that the government will allow students to retake their examinations within a month. That has brought some relief, as it reduces the risk of my daughter losing an academic year.”
The parent said the family was now helping the girl prepare again and encouraging her to regain confidence.
“We are trying to prepare her for the examinations and help her become mentally stronger so that she can achieve better results this time,” the parent added.
