The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations began Thursday with a unified question paper.
The tests started at 10am with Bangla First Paper.
Special security measures have been implemented to prevent question paper leaks, with the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee asserting that there is no possibility of such an occurrence.
A total of 1,270,583 students are participating in this year’s examinations, reflecting an increase of 19,472 candidates compared to the previous year.
Amongst the examinees, 1,069,714 are from nine general education boards, while 200,869 students are from Madrasa and Technical education boards.
The examinations will be conducted in 2,997 centres, of which 145 have been identified as “risky,” including 40 centres located in Dhaka.
Authorities have issued 35 specific guidelines to ensure the smooth conduct of HSC exams, covering aspects such as question paper distribution, answer script storage, permitted calculators, and mandatory searches of washrooms.
Syed Akhtaruzzaman, president of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee, has said all preparations for a fair and cheat-free environment have been finalised and maintained that there is no scope for question leaks.
Earlier, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon said that if any cheating is detected at an examination centre, action will be taken not only against the student but also against the head of the respective educational institution.
While academics have lauded the initiative to use a single question paper across all boards as a positive step, they highlighted that maintaining a uniform standard for answer script evaluation and ensuring the total prevention of leaks remain significant challenges.
The written examinations are set to continue from 2 July until 8 August, with practical examinations scheduled to be concluded by 15 August.
