HSC Exams begin Thursday with more candidates, centres and CCTV monitoring

Bangladesh’s HSC and equivalent examinations for the current year will begin on Thursday, with increases in the number of candidates, examination centres and participating educational institutions. Authorities said the exams under nine general education boards will be held using a uniform question paper, while CCTV cameras have been installed at all centres to prevent cheating.

Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon and the Prime Minister’s Education Adviser Dr Mahdi Amin disclosed the details at a press conference at the Education Ministry conference room on Wednesday.

Mahdi Amin said the examinations would cover 77 subjects and be completed over 21 days. “This time, the total number of candidates across all boards is 1,270,583. The total number of centres is 2,697 and the total number of institutions participating in the examination is 9,439,” he said.

Officials said a CCTV camera monitoring cell has also been set up at the Education Ministry, from where examinations at any centre in any part of Bangladesh can be monitored.

Authorities also said police officers assigned to centres will carry body-worn cameras, a step expected to reduce the likelihood of unwanted incidents at examination venues.

Mahdi Amin said regular classes would continue at institutions on days when examinations are not being held. Dr Mahdi Amin also said some centres known for cheating had been cancelled. However, some venue centres remain in haor areas, hill tracts and remote char regions to ease student travel.

Mahdi Amin said candidates from the Seventh-day Adventist community would be allowed to sit Saturday examinations after sunset at examination centres under special arrangements.

Providing year-on-year figures, Mahdi Amin said the total number of candidates, both regular and irregular, was 1,055,398 in 2025, including 491,284 male students and 564,114 female students. In 2026, the total number of candidates is 1,069,714, including 492,406 male students and 577,308 female students.

Mahdi Amin said the total number of candidates increased by 14,316 in 2026 compared with 2025. The increase included 1,122 male students and 13,194 female students.

Mahdi Amin said the number of participating institutions was 4,808 in 2025 and 4,885 in 2026, an increase of 77. Dr Mahdi Amin added that the number of examination centres was 1,605 in 2025 and 1,626 in 2026, up by 21.

Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon said the public examination law had been amended this year. “The new law has introduced many stricter provisions. As a result, the examination will be conducted more fairly this time than before,” he said.

Education Minister Ehsanul Hoque Milon also said the number of answer script evaluators had been increased. Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon said the schedule for next year’s HSC examinations had been brought forward and the routine had already been published. Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon added that the curriculum would be changed next year, with importance given to sports, culture and co-curricular activities.