Govt allows British Council to hold O and A Level examinations

The Ministry of Education has allowed the British Council to hold O and A Level examinations in October and November respectively and laid down four conditions for the test organisers amid the coronavirus epidemic.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education on Sunday issued a letter to the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, reports bdnews24.com.

The British Council sent an application to the education ministry on September 7, seeking approvals for the examinations. 

The Bangladesh government asked the British Council to strictly follow the hygiene rules and guidelines issued by the Health Directorate and the World Health Organisation during the exams.   

 “No more than 1,800 students will be allowed to sit a test in a day at the 35 centres across the country. The students will have to maintain distance of at least six feet from each other,” the letter said.

The government further said it will exercise its authority to reverse its approval for the exams anytime if the situation demands.

The British Council will be responsible if any student gets infected with the COVID-19 illness during the exams, according to the letter.

The British Council has already issued a notice over the exams after receiving the approval from the ministry.

GCSE, IGCSE, O Level and A Level exams set for October-November session will be held on schedule, according to the notice. As many as 5,200 students are scheduled to sit the exams.