Students and parents prepare themselves as the Schools and Colleges have partially reopened once again from 22nd February. However, this is just the start as authorities are hoping to resume the in-person classes on 2nd March 2022 (i.e in 2 weeks from 22nd February) with new rules and regulations.
Even though the regular classes are resuming, there are speculations regarding when the SSC and HSC examinations will be held. Many suspects that there might be another lockdown if the numbers of positive COVID cases spike. Again, Universities will be taking their own decisions in reopening and resuming classes.
Regardless of all the speculations, in this article, we’ll be discussing the officially disclosed information about when SSC and HSC exams of 2022 will be held. We will also discuss the new regulations of physical classes in this article.
Content Outline
State of education in Bangladesh during the pandemic
The pandemic has hit Bangladesh really hard. Even though the death rates and the number of positive cases are relatively low in Bangladesh, the economic, as well as the educational sector, has been shaken because of COVID-19.
Having no other alternatives the authorities had to resort to online classes like other countries. Even though for some families it was affordable, for many families it was an impossible task. Students with poor family backgrounds couldn’t simply continue their studies at all.
As a result of this prolonged lockdown, the desks of schools and colleges collected dust. The hallway that used to be encumbered by the sounds of students’ laughter and chatter, was in utter silence.
Mental and physical state of children
For over 15 months, the schools and colleges remain closed. There’s no doubt that it had a greatly negative impact on the student’s mental and physical health. Parents expressed their frustration and sadness claiming that their children spend most of their time on computers and mobile devices. Students spend most of their time playing video games and watching cartoons. Finding no other alternatives, parents had to allow this.
While many students spent their free time on gadgets, the children of poor family backgrounds couldn’t afford that luxury. Many students were forced to sell items in the street while many of them had to do day jobs to support their families.
The teachers and staff of many schools had to choose another job. Many small schools were closed off simply because they couldn’t pay the rent. Many teachers lost their jobs and had to find some other means for survival.
There is no doubt that the damage caused by the pandemic is unrecoverable. Many students forgot basic mathematics, english, and other skills. While some students are struggling to study others have waved goodbye to their education. Many teen girls were forced into marriage finding no better alternatives. All of these accumulate to major damage and uncertain future of millions of lives.
It’s good news that things might get back to normal. But will it ever compensate for the damage that has already been done? We do hope that the schools and colleges remain open for good this time. We should all take precautions and take vaccinations because that is the only way to combat this deadly pandemic. Not just for ourselves, but for the lives of others and the future of our country
Reopening of schools and colleges with new protocols
Educational institutions were closed off from March 17, 2020, and partially resumed in September 2021. That is a total of 543 days. The education ministry received some negativity as this is the longest closure in the world. But according to the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the recommendation of The National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC), a decision of reopening the educational institutions was taken.
The Education Minister, Dipu Moni said in a press conference that the schools and colleges will be open partially on 22nd February. Physical classes will resume normally from 2nd March. Dipu Moni also added some rules and regulations regarding the classes:
- Only students who has received 2 doses of vaccine will be allowed within the premises of the educational institutions
- Students with one dose of vaccine will not be allowed in the class
- Students and staff must have their masks on within the campus
There are in total 1.28 crore students from grade 6-12 and among them, 1.27 crore students have already taken their 1st dose of vaccine. There are 34 lac students who have already taken their 2nd dose of vaccine and are ready to join the classes.
In the meantime, the Bangladesh Government has also revealed its plans to bring children under 12 under vaccination. In due time we hope that all the students get vaccinated so that classes may resume as normal.
Two-day weekend at primary and secondary schools from 2023
On February 19, Dipu Moni attended a program at the NCTB (National Curriculum Textbook Board). In the program, Dipu Moni distributed textbooks among the students of 62 secondary schools.
After the program, Dipu Moni had a conference with the reporters where she informed us that a new curriculum will take place. The new curriculum also states that primary and secondary schools will have a two-day weekend effective from 2023.
The SSC and HSC exam of 2022
While there has been much speculation regarding the exact time of the SSC and HSC examination of 2022, we will discuss only the official statement from the Bangladesh Secondary and Higher Secondary Education board.
In the latest statement of the Bangladesh Education board, the following information regarding the SSC and HSC examination was revealed:
The SSC 2022 examination will start from June
The HSC 2022 examination will start from August
This decision, however, is not final. According to the information of the Education Board, the exact date of SSC and HSC for 2022 might change in the future. The recent news also stated that Bangla 2nd paper, English 1st and 2nd paper has been re-revised.
We will inform you of the latest information as soon as we receive any official statements.
Bangla and English Mandatory for 2022 SSC, HSC
As the partial reopening of Schools and Colleges took place on February 22, 2021, The education board has also decided that SSC and HSC candidates for 2022 will have to sit for Bangla and English exams besides their 3 optional subjects.
The chairman of Mymensingh education board, Professor Gazi Hassan Kamal has also informed that the exams will be held of truncated syllabuses and with fewer marks. This decision was taken considering the current COVID situation of the country.
While the exams of SSC and HSC for 2022 are planned to be held in June and August respectively, there could be many changes. In one of the official announcements, we learned that the curriculum of Bangla 1st paper and English 1st and 2nd Paper of SSC and HSC exam has gone under a re-revision. The total marks distribution of these 3 subjects has been reduced to 50.
We will keep you updated with the latest information as soon as it arrives.
👉 এসএসসি ও এইচএসসি পরীক্ষা ২০২২ এর ব্যাপারে জরুরি বিজ্ঞপ্তি
Conclusion
The pandemic has ravaged our world for over 2 years now. While the death rate in Bangladesh is relatively lower than in other countries, the damage is no less devastating. It is said that education is the backbone of a country. The frequent lockdowns and closure of schools and colleges have pushed some schools to shut down their gates for good.
While it is good news that schools and colleges are reopening, it is also important to remember the rules and regulations. The first step is to get vaccinated. In order to completely erridate the COVID, it is essential to follow all the guidelines. The sooner we abide by these rules the sooner everything can get back to normal.
You can read the official document from here.
