All students to be promoted to next higher class

Secondary level students in the country will be promoted to the next higher class without any annual examinations this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, said Education Minister Dipu Moni.

However, Students from Class Six to Class Nine will be assessed on four assignments based on an abridged syllabus prepared by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).

The assignments will be given only to assess their state of learning and the loss in education students suffered during the pandemic. But the assignment will not create any restriction to promote them to the next higher classes.

“There will be no examinations this time because of the coronavirus pandemic. This time there won’t be any annual examinations. All the students will be promoted to next higher class,” Education Minister said while addressing a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

Dr Dipu Moni said, “This assessment method is only there to help us understand the weaknesses of the students. The assessment will not have any effect on their promotion to the next higher class. It will be used to address their weaknesses and help them rectify these.”

The minister also said, “Four assignments from abridged syllabus prepared by the NCTB have to be completed within 30 days. This precise syllabus will be sent to the heads of all educational institutions. The teachers will deliver these to the students of their respective institutions. Students will be able to submit assignments through online or by writing longhand.”

“The work of giving assignments to students will start from November 1,” the minister said.

She also said, “Students will write an (one) assignment in a week. The student or his / her parents can physically go to the school and hand over it to the teachers.”

“However, if anyone wants, they can also submit it to the teachers through online. If this is not possible, an e-mail address will be provided on the website of the Ministry of Education, where students can send their weekly assignments,” she added.

She also advised students to continue their studies by their own efforts.

During the conference, Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, Secretary of Technical and Madrasah Education Division Md Aminul Islam Khan, Director General of secondary and higher education directorate Professor Syed Golam Faruk, and Chairmen of all education boards, were present.

All educational institutions in the country remained closed since March 17 to contain the coronavirus infection. The closure has been extended till October 31 in several phases.

To minimise the loss of education, the government introduced Television learning and online classes for the primary and secondary level students.

As all the educational institutions remain closed for seven consecutive months, students and guardians were in an uncertainty about the annual examinations.

Finally, the Minister of Education has announced that the annual examinations will not be held.

Earlier, this year’s Primary Education Completion (PEC), Junior School Certificate (JSC), Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations had been cancelled.