HSC examinees’ protest spreads nationwide over exam row

Thousands of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinees staged coordinated protests across Bangladesh on Tuesday, blocking highways, laying siege to education board offices and clashing with police as anger mounted over the government's decision to hold examinations despite severe flooding and waterlogging.

The nationwide demonstrations, spanning Dhaka, Chattogram, Barisal, Cumilla, Bogura, Tangail, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Kurigram, Sunamganj, Naogaon, Rangpur, Jashore and Cox's Bazar, centred on a three-point demand: suspension of HSC and equivalent examinations until the disaster situation improves, a retake for candidates who missed Monday's examination because of the weather, and the resignation of Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon within 24 hours.

The protests were further fuelled by the minister's reported remark comparing students to "farm chickens", which quickly became a rallying cry at demonstrations across the country.

In Dhaka, students first blocked Mirpur Road at the Science Lab intersection before marching towards the University of Dhaka. Police prevented them from entering the campus as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was attending a programme there. The protesters later marched to the Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board in Bakshibazar before returning to Science Lab, where they announced an expanded three-point charter.

The students demanded the minister's resignation and public apology by 6:00pm, a fresh examination for all candidates regardless of whether they sat Monday's test, and suspension of Wednesday's examination pending a revised routine.

They later marched to Manik Mia Avenue outside the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. When some protesters attempted to enter the parliament premises, police baton-charged the crowd, leaving several students injured. Some demonstrators responded by throwing brickbats before police dispersed them.

Earlier, another group of students who had blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway near Uttara withdrew after announcing a "March to the Ministry of Education" programme for Wednesday.

In Parliament, Education Minister Milon expressed regret over his earlier remarks.

"Many have objected to my personal comments. I did not intend to hurt anyone deliberately. If anyone was hurt, I apologise," he said.

He also said the physics, accounting and logic examinations held on Monday would be reviewed and that candidates would receive full marks for the flawed physics question, while re-examinations would be arranged at centres where problems had been reported. The assurances, however, were rejected by protesters.

In Chattogram, hundreds of examinees gathered at Sholoshahar before marching to the Chattogram Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, where they forced open the locked entrance and held an hour-long meeting with Board Secretary Professor Mohammad Jahirul Haque Swapan.