Busses, rickshaws and other vehicles make a mess of Paltan intersection in the capital yesterday. Plenty of vehicles plied the city streets ignoring the shutdown called to protest the death sentence of Jamaat chief Nizami. Photo: Amran Hossain

Around 21 lakh schoolchildren along with their guardians are frustrated and concerned, thanks to Jamaat's ongoing hartal which led to the deferral of Sunday's JSC and JDC examinations across the country.

While this has ruined the young learners' preparations, it will also put undue mental pressure on them.

And it is highly unlikely that the woes of these kids will be over with the end of the Islamist party's 72-hour hartal on Monday, as more shutdowns may follow the war crimes verdict on Jamaat leader Mir Quasem Ali on Sunday.

Then the Supreme Court is expected to announce the verdict in the appeal of Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, condemned war criminal and also a Jamaat leader, next week.  

Anxious, guardians say their children are once again set to face similar ordeals like that of last year when frequent shutdowns and blockades, enforced in November and December, devastated exam schedules and messed up the academic calendar of all educational institutions.

The ongoing hartal called by Jamaat-e-Islami protesting the death sentence on its chief Motiur Rahman Nizami for war crimes sends out a similar alarm bell. The party is enforcing a 72-hour hartal -- Thursday, Sunday and Monday.

"Won't we ever get respite from this deadly politics?" asked a father, Kaiser Ahmed, whose son is taking Junior School Certificate exams.

A resident of the capital's Mirpur, he phoned this correspondent yesterday noon to know if the exams would be rescheduled because of the hartal. The education ministry announced the fresh exam dates later at night.

"Nobody really cares about education in true sense. Otherwise, why will all the problems happen at the end of the year? Don't our politicians and policymakers know how crucial the months of November and December are for the students?" said Kaiser.

He added his son was disappointed and could not concentrate on studies after the announcement of hartal.

"We are sick and tired of requesting all to keep education out of politics, but who cares? It is the children who become the victims of politics all the time," he said in disgust.

An examinee from Viqarunnisa Noon School and College said, "We are in a great uncertainty as to whether our examinations will be held on time. It hampers our preparation badly as we get to know at the last moment that the exam has been postponed."

Education Secretary Nazrul Islam Khan last night announced the changed exam routine.

At a hurriedly-called press briefing at his Minto Road residence, he said Sunday's exam (Bangla First Paper) would now be held on October 7 and the one slated for October 3 (Bangla Second Paper) would take place on October 14.

"Students and guardians were worried. We waited for any announcement of withdrawing the hartal. Since no such announcement came, we had to change the schedule considering the safety of the examinees," the secretary told reporters.

The JSC and the JDC exams are scheduled to end on November 18.

Also worried and panicked over possible shutdowns are about 30 lakh primary and ebtedai students, with their tests set to begin on November 23.

Guardians say they are extremely concerned over this sudden development in politics, and fear it will affect the academic lives of millions of students.

Nilima Akter, a banker whose son will take the primary terminal examination, said she watched on TV that another judgment would be delivered on Sunday.

"It means there might be another spell of hartal coming. I don't know what'll happen," she said.

Last year, her elder son had suffered a lot due to the hartals during the SSC examinations as the exams were postponed one after another. "We don't want such nightmares to return."

Teachers of different schools say the last two months of a year are the most crucial to students, as it is the time for annual and public examinations.

"We are troubled thinking if we will face similar problems to complete the school final exams on time like last year," said Manju Ara Begum, principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College.

She said the annual examinations in her school would begin on December 1.

"Our school will be a centre for primary terminal examination. If there are any changes in the exam schedules, we will be in a big problem," she told The Daily Star.

Shahan Ara, principal of Ideal School and College, Motijheel, shares her concerns.

"The entire schedule will be in a mess if there is hartal for long. We will have problems in checking the answer scripts and publishing results," she said.

Officials say they have completed all preparations for the primary terminal tests. It will be difficult for them to reschedule the exams if back to back hartals are enforced.

A disruption has also been seen in case of the honours examinations under the National University. Currently, exams of honours first part and final part are going on.

Amid such a situation, examinees, guardians and teachers urged the political parties not to call hartals during examinations.