The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations - Dakhil and SSC Vocational - are scheduled to begin on Tuesday across the country.
A total of 18,57,344 candidates will sit for this year's SSC and equivalent examinations under 11 education boards across the country. Of them- 14,18,398 candidates are sitting in the exam under the nine general education boards while 3,04,286 candidates are under the Madrasah Education Board and 1,34,660 candidates are under the Technical Education Board.
While addressing a press conference in his ministry conference room at the Secretariat on Monday, Education and Primary Education Minister Dr. A.N.M. Ehsanul Haque Milon gave the information.
Prime Minister's Adviser on Education And Primary Education Mahdi Amin and acting Director General of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education Prof Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel also attended the briefing.
According to the Inter-Education Board, more than 1.857 million students are expected to sit for this year's SSC and equivalent examinations at 3,885 centres nationwide. That marks a decline from last year, when more than 1.936 million candidates participated.
The upcoming examination is the first major public examination to be held under the current government, making its administration particularly significant for the ministry.
The nine general boards are Dhaka Education Board; Rajshahi Education Board; Cumilla Education Board; Jashore Education Board; Chattogram Education Board; Barishal Education Board; Sylhet Education Board; Dinajpur Education Board and Mymensingh Education Board.
Of them, 3,66,650 students will appear in Dhaka Education Board while 1,77,709 in Rajshahi Education Board; 1,46,817 in Cumilla Education Board; 1,35,089 in Jashore Education Board; 1,30668 in Chattogram Education Board; 81,831 in Barishal Education Board; 89,421 in Sylhet Education Board; 1,81,854 in Dinajpur Education Board and 1,08,359 in Mymensingh Education Board.
In addition, the exams will also be conducted under the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board and the Bangladesh Technical Education Board.
While addressing the press conference, Ehsanul Haque Milon indicated that the government is considering shifting future SSC examinations to December, aligning the examination calendar more closely with the academic year.
He explained that classes now begin in January and continue through December, suggesting that students should be examined immediately after completing their coursework instead of waiting several additional months.
"If the course ends in December, why should students lose another year of their lives waiting?" he said.
However, despite repeated questions from journalists, the minister stopped short of confirming whether the next SSC examination would actually be held in December. Instead, he said only that examinations would be conducted "at the appropriate time" after the syllabus is completed.
Officials said classes are currently being held six days a week in some institutions to compensate for earlier disruptions in the academic calendar.
Issuing a stern warning against corruption within the ministry, the minister declared that no official found involved in wrongdoing would be allowed to remain in office for even 24 hours.
"I am the kind of minister under whose watch anyone involved in corruption in this ministry will not be able to stay for 24 hours. I have done it before, I am still doing it, and even today some individuals have been removed," he told reporters.
The minister's remarks are being seen as part of the government's broader effort to restore accountability in the education sector, where allegations of administrative irregularities and corruption have periodically surfaced.
By publicly warning officials of immediate action, the minister signaled that the government intends to adopt a stricter stance on governance within the education system as it seeks to rebuild confidence in public institutions.
