14 lakh take first-ever JSC, JDC exams

Over 14 lakh class-eight students from schools and madrasas across the country participated in the first ever Junior School Certificate (JSC) and Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) examinations yesterday.
A total of 15,05,391 students, with girls outnumbering boys, have registered for the exams and 14,03,891 students turned up on the first day, said the education ministry control room. In terms of the number of participants, the junior level exam is considered the second largest public exam.
The examinations started at 10:00am at 1,804 centres under eight general education boards and one madrasa board. Students taking JSC exams had two exams yesterday while participants of JDC exams had one exam.
Students were full of energy at the examination centres, taking their first-time public exam.
However, some of the students, who sit for JSC exams, said that in their first experience of the public exam, they had to take two exams with an hour's interval and that made the day stressful for them.
As many as 35 students and one teacher were expelled yesterday for resorting to unfair means. Among the students expelled, 21 are from Comilla Education Board and 14 from Madrasa Education Board. The teacher was from Chittagong board. The control room of the ministry could not give the teacher's identity.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid visited many examination centres in the city and talked to examiners, students and guardians.
During his visit to Motijheel Govt Boys School, a few guardians complained about the exam schedule. They said two exams a day is causing too much pressure on their kids who are sitting for a public exam for the first time.
In response, the minister said the examination routine was prepared after discussions with teachers and officials concerned, and it was made to save time for the next academic year.
Students of general education boards had Bangla 1st paper in the morning followed by Bangla 2nd paper at 2:00pm while madrasa students had only one Bangla paper.
The students taking JSC exams will write English 1st paper and English 2nd paper on November 7, and those under madrasa board will take their only English paper on November 6.
Talking to The Daily Star at some centres, JSC examinees and their guardians said the questions were easy and they did well.
Expressing satisfaction, an examinee at Motijheel Govt Boys School said, “My first exam went very well.
“But it would have been better if I had one exam a day.”
Even the interval between two exams in one day is very short, said a guardian, Ahmad Akbar.
However, guardians observe that the public exams will encourage students, as they will receive a certificate after the exams.
Among the students who had registered for JSC and JDC exams, 30,954 madrasa students were absent on the first day while the number of absentees was 21,353 in Dhaka board, 12,639 in Jessore, 12,080 in Rajshahi, 8,398 in Comilla, 5,571 in Barisal, 3,903 in Chittagong, 3,859 in Dinajpur and 2,726 in Sylhet boards.
JSC and JDC examinations will end on November 14 and 15.