Bedu recommends cancelling JSC and equivalent exams

Bangladesh Examination Development Unit (Bedu) has recommended the government cancel the Junior School Certificate and its equivalent examinations if there is no possibility of reopening educational institutions this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The recommendation was made because the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education are going to decide on upcoming academic activities, classes and examinations soon.

The education ministry has already held several meetings with different quarters to analyse Bedu's recommendations.

Mahbub Hossain, secretary (Secondary and Higher Education) of the Education Ministry, told The Business Standard that the ministry is working on how to find a better solution.

"We have not made any decision. However, we will reach a solution soon based on our experts' suggestions," he said.

The top officials of the education ministries recently held a meeting with the principal secretary to the Prime Minister and other top officials of the PMO.

"We discussed Bedu's recommendations. The officials of PMO will convey our discussion to the Prime Minister. We have sought direction from the PMO in this regard," Mahbub Hossain said.

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board is also working in this regard.

Professor Narayan Chandra Shaha, Chairman of National Curriculum and Textbook Board, told The Business Standard that they are going to arrange a workshop with the participation of textbook experts from tomorrow (Wednesday).

"There is no scope to abridge the curriculum. We will do it after receiving our experts' opinions," he added.

Meanwhile, the National Academy of Primary Education made a draft plan which asks the ministry to start primary classes (up to Class IV) from September 1 and continue till November 30. The classes of Class V will continue till November 30. The ministry will decide on the examinations.

Md Shah Alam, director-general of National Academy of Primary Education said, "We are working on starting the classes in September. We will make another plan to start the classes in October too."

Secretary of Primary and Mass Education Ministry Md Akram-al-Hossain told The Business Standard that they are working to reopen the educational institutions but everything depends on the pandemic situation.

Bedu's recommendations

Bedu recommended that the syllabus be reduced if the secondary classes start from September, but the exam will be out of 100 marks.

The ministry might hold exams in December but they would be out of 50 marks with a short syllabus, the recommendation said.

It also mentioned that the exams can be taken as per the syllabus of the scholarship exams which were taken before JSC exams were introduced.

Bedu recommended the automatic promotion of students and that the uncompleted parts of the syllabus be included in next year's syllabus.