HSC candidate denied entry into exam centre after late arrival; family says delay due to mother's stroke

An HSC candidate in Dhaka was not allowed to sit for her exam on Thursday after arriving late at the centre, with family members saying the delay was due to a medical emergency involving her mother.

According to local media reports, Ayesha, a student of Dhaka Shiksha Board Laboratory School and College in Mirpur, reached the Government Bangla College centre around 90 minutes after the exam had begun.

Officials at the centre were quoted as saying she was not allowed in for missing the reporting time.

Her maternal aunt, who accompanied her, told reporters that Ayesha’s mother had suffered a stroke earlier that morning, causing the delay. She also said Ayesha’s father is deceased.

Several guardians outside the centre expressed disappointment for not allowing her to sit for the exam, saying that authorities could have shown flexibility in the candidate’s case on humanitarian grounds.

This year’s HSC and equivalent exams began across the country on Thursday with more than 1.25 million students taking part under 11 education boards at nearly 2,800 centres.