Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinees in Cumilla travelled by boat or waded through waterlogged roads to reach their examination centres on Monday as heavy rainfall inundated roads across the city.
With roads submerged, transport services were disrupted across parts of the city, making it difficult for students to arrive on time.
At the Cumilla Government Women’s College examination centre, boats were arranged inside the centre premises to help students enter safely. Around 9:30am, several examinees were seen using boats to reach the centre.
Prof Ahsan Parvez, chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Cumilla, said the authorities were considering the difficulties faced by students with sympathy. “Centre authorities are looking at the matter sympathetically,” he said.
An examinee at the Women’s College centre, Taslima Akter, said examinations should have been postponed across all education boards considering the severe weather situation.
“Students had to reach examination centres, getting drenched in rain. Many candidates arrived wearing wet clothes. Some were also seen falling on submerged roads,” she said.
Guardians of the examinees also expressed frustration over holding examinations during the rainy season.
Principal of Cumilla Victoria Government College Prof Abul Basher Bhuiya said 2,100 examinees from eight colleges were sitting for examinations at his college centre.
“Although there is water on the field, no water entered the examination rooms. The board has instructed us to provide additional time to students who arrived late due to the situation,” he said.
Ahsan Parvez said waterlogging occurred on roads and in front of examination centres in six districts under the board due to heavy rainfall, but no water entered any examination rooms.
He said centre authorities had been instructed to consider the delayed arrival of students sympathetically and expressed hope that no examinee will face difficulties in sitting for the examinations.
Cumilla City Corporation Administrator Md Yousuf Mollah said he visited the Government Women’s College centre before the examination began and supervised arrangements to ensure students could enter safely.
Meanwhile, Cumilla city experienced severe waterlogging after 107 millimetres of rainfall in just three hours on Monday. Major roads, narrow lanes and residential areas went under water, with some areas submerged up to knee and waist levels.
Many residents suffered as rainwater entered their homes, causing widespread inconvenience.
Taking advantage of the situation, drivers of rickshaws and battery-powered auto-rickshaws reportedly increased fares, forcing commuters to pay extra.
The Cumilla Meteorological Office said the district recorded 138.2 millimetres of rainfall in the past 24 hours. Of this, 107 millimetres were recorded between early Monday morning and 9:00am.
