Govt plans to reduce subjects, exam days for SSC and HSC

The government is planning major reforms to the examination system for the country's two largest public exams, the SSC and HSC, aiming to reduce exam duration and alleviate mental pressure on students. The National Curriculum and Textbook Board has prepared a detailed action plan and concept paper to rationalise the number of exam subjects and significantly reduce working days for conducting exams.

The proposed action plan has recently been sent to the Ministry of Education for approval.

NCTB Chairman Md Mahbubul Haque Patwari said a detailed action plan has been prepared and sent for approval following ministry directives. Once approval is received, a workshop will be organised with renowned educationists, curriculum and assessment experts, parents, students and education board representatives. The final decision will be made after reviewing the opinions gathered, which will bring positive changes to the country's education system.

The NCTB concept paper noted that the SSC exams currently take approximately 25-30 working days to complete, while the HSC exams take 30-35 working days or even longer. As educational institutions are used as exam centres during this long period, regular teaching in thousands of schools remains suspended, causing a significant loss of learning hours for students in other classes. Additionally, the prolonged exam period places immense mental stress on examinees.

Furthermore, a large number of teachers are forced to stay away from teaching duties during exam conduct. Delays in answer script evaluation, result publication and higher education admission processes also create the risk of session congestion.

Upon receiving the green light from the ministry, the NCTB plans to organise a two-day special workshop. The objectives include reviewing the existing subject structure of SSC and HSC exams, determining effective strategies to reduce exam duration, assessing the feasibility of holding SSC exams by December each year, determining the ratio of continuous and summative assessment, and creating a roadmap for implementing recommendations.

The board also stated that international experiences and comparative analysis from countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore will be examined to determine the minimum number of subjects that should be tested.

NCTB Member (Curriculum) Professor Dr A K M Masudul Haque said, "We have submitted a preliminary concept paper to the ministry on how to reduce the number of subjects and working days. However, the matter is not yet final. Core exam-related issues will be determined in coordination with the Inter-Education Board Exam Conduct Committee."

The proposed workshop will involve detailed discussions on which subjects can be merged or integrated, how compulsory and elective subjects will be reorganised, and the reliability of school-based assessment.

The workshop will be attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Education, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, the Directorate of Madrasa and Technical Education, and chairmen of all education boards. Approximately 90 experts and stakeholders, including BRAC University Emeritus Professor Dr Manzoor Ahmed and University of Dhaka IER Director Professor Hosne Ara Begum, will be involved in formulating the recommendations. Six separate groups will propose specific measures for maintaining alignment between the general syllabus and madrasa and technical syllabi, as well as modernising practical exam management.