The 2026 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations began on Thursday (July 2) at 10 a.m., with all general education boards using the same question paper for the first time.
For the first time in Bangladesh’s history, the exams are being conducted under CCTV surveillance. A total of 12,70,583 students from 9,439 institutions are taking the exams at 2,697 centers nationwide, an increase of 22,766 over the previous year.
Among the general nine education boards, 10,69,714 students are registered. The Madrasa and Technical education boards account for an additional 2,00,869, including 92,905 under the Madrasa board. Female students outnumber males in the general boards, while the reverse is true in the Technical and Madrasa boards.
The exams opened with Bengali first paper for the general and technical boards and Quran Majeed for the Madrasa board. Of the 2,697 centers, 145 have been identified as high-risk, with 40 of those in Dhaka. Authorities issued 35 directives covering question paper distribution, answer sheet storage, calculator use, and washroom inspections.
Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee chairman Prof. Syed Aktaruzzaman said there was no possibility of question paper leaks. “If such an incident occurs, the day’s exam will be suspended nationwide and rescheduled,” he said.
Education Minister Dr. ANM Ehsanul Haq Milon said that if cheating is detected at any center, action will be taken not only against the student but also against the head of the institution. He added that a new curriculum will be introduced at the primary and secondary levels from 2028.
The Prime Minister’s adviser on education, Mahdi Amin, said the government is reforming the curriculum under the prime minister’s leadership to prioritize culture and sports alongside academic education and to integrate co-curricular activities into the system.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report