Why are the HSC exams held during the rainy season? Who is responsible for the crisis?

Heavy rainfall has continued across the country, causing widespread waterlogging in both urban and rural areas, while flooding has been reported in several districts. Despite the adverse weather, the ongoing HSC and equivalent examinations are being held as scheduled.

In recent days, many candidates have had to travel to examination centres by boat or wade through knee- or waist-deep water. Some reportedly fell into water-filled potholes on their way, while others swam to reach their examination centres.

Images and videos showing the hardships faced by examinees have gone viral on social media and have also been featured in local and international media, prompting widespread public concern. Many have called for the postponement of examinations in flood-affected and waterlogged areas, while others have demanded the resignation of Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon on social media.

More than 1.2 million HSC and equivalent candidates are sitting for the examinations under challenging weather conditions, raising questions over why the country's largest public examinations are being held during the peak monsoon season.

Educationists say weather conditions and seasonal risks should have been given greater consideration when scheduling examinations involving such a large number of students nationwide.

Jasmin Taslima Banu, convener of the Bangladesh Inter-Education Board Examination Regulatory Committee, said postponing even a single day's examination poses major logistical challenges for around 1.3 million candidates. She noted that this year the examinations are being conducted with a uniform question paper nationwide, meaning any region-specific postponement would require a separate set of question papers, creating further complications.

Education authorities, however, argue that revising the examination schedule was not feasible. They say the HSC examinations had already been delayed by more than a month following student demands.

The education boards have also said examinations could not be postponed further because they did not receive recommendations from deputy commissioners (DCs) and upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) in the affected areas.

Officials further note that the national academic calendar has yet to fully recover from disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, while the events surrounding the 2024 mass uprising have also affected the education schedule.