Government mulls December deadline for SSC, HSC exams to reduce academic backlog

The government is exploring whether Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams can be completed every year by December, aiming to save students’ “precious time”.

To evaluate the feasibility and implement necessary reforms, the Ministry of Education has initiated a series of preparatory measures.

On Wednesday, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon led a discussion at the ministry’s conference room on this initiative, according to a media statement.

The session, organised to ensure smooth conduct of the 2026 HSC and equivalent exams, deliberated on the significant time students currently lose.

Under the existing system, a student finishing Class 10 may have to wait until the following year to sit for the SSC, and similarly for HSC exams, resulting in nearly two years effectively lost in their academic timeline.

“This is a major setback both for students’ lives and our national progress. We discussed the possibility of completing SSC and HSC exams by December each year,” the release quoted the minister.

Decisions from the meeting include conducting the 2026 HSC exams across all boards with a uniform question paper and installing CCTV cameras in every exam room to ensure transparency.

Education board chairpersons have been instructed to inspect exam centres personally or through representatives and submit detailed reports to the ministry.

Milon emphasised a zero-tolerance policy against cheating and malpractice, citing delays in taking administrative action during the 2023 SSC exams at Khagakhari Bari High School in Nilphamari.

The ministry also announced the formation of a high-level committee to assess the need and feasibility of reducing the number of subjects in future SSC and HSC examinations, part of broader reforms to streamline the academic calendar.