JSC and JDC examinations to begin on Nov 1

Over 26 lakh eighth graders will sit for Junior School Certificate (JSC) and Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) examinations on November 1 amid government's various measures to prevent question leak.

Closing down all coaching centres till the end of the exams, opening sealed packets containing question papers 25 minutes prior to the test, and banning mobile phone, smartwatch, digital pen and any digital device within 200 metres of the exam centres are some of the steps taken to ensure that the examinations are held in a free and fair manner.

“I seek cooperation from all and urge the students and parents not to go after questions rumoured to have been leaked,” said Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid at a pre-examination press briefing at the Secretariat yesterday.

He requested the guardians not to put pressure on their children over the exams.

There have been some negative vibes over the test, with some guardians being more concerned about their children scoring well and sending them to coaching classes, he said.

But the overall impact of the JSC-JDC exams is encouraging as the tests not only increased the enrolment of students but also reduced dropout rates, the minister said.

What is more important, Nahid said, is that girls continued to outnumber boys as the number of the examinees has been on the rise.

A total of 26,70,333 -- 14,46,601 girls and 12,23,732 boys -- have registered from 29,677 schools and madrasas for this year's exams.

Last year, 24.68 lakh students took part in the tests.

“It [the rise in the number] is the outcome of extending the access to education to rural level. The exams will make the students more confident and the students will also feel encouraged when they get certificates,” Nahid said.

JSC examinees or students from general schools will take Bangla first paper test on the first day, while the madrasa students or JDC examinees will sit for Quran Mazid and Tazbid. The exams will end on November 15.

The examination, which replaced the scholarship tests, was introduced in 2010 when around 14.92 lakh students participated in the test across the country.

This year, over 22.67 lakh students will sit for the JSC exams under eight general education boards. Over 4.02 lakh students will take the JDC exams under madrasa education board.

Of the total examinees this year, about 2.80 lakh are irregular, while some 2.61 lakh students who had flunked in upto three subjects will retake the exams, according to statistics provided by the ministry.

The exams will be held on seven subjects on a total of 650 marks.

Some 578 overseas students will sit for the tests at eight overseas centres.

The minister said they already asked all coaching centres to remain closed from Sunday until the tests end.

“Coaching centres are the places where fake questions were being prepared and spread. If any coaching centre remains open, action will be taken. Cases will be filed against them,” Nahid said.