Ensure power, keep candles ready too

The authorities have asked the Power Division to make sure there is uninterrupted electricity during the coming HSC exams, but also told the exam centres to keep candles at hand.

In a recent letter to the Power Division, the education ministry said there should not be any power cuts from 11:00am to 1:00am and 2:00pm to 4:00pm on exam days.

Meanwhile, the education boards across the country last week asked the exam centre secretary to make arrangements so that exams were not interrupted because of power cuts, said Prof Tapan Kumar Sarkar, chief of the inter-education board coordination committee and chairman of Dhaka Education Board.

Prof Tapan said power cuts were not as frequent these days.

"The power division has confirmed that there will be no load shedding during the exam hours," he added.

As the Higher Secondary Certificate exams begin today, many students expressed concerns that power cuts would affect their performance during the tests.

The students had to prepare for the exams amid frequent power cuts and many expressed fears that there would be load shedding during the tests.

Nurani Islam Nisha, an examinee of Bogura Government Azizul Haque college, said she could not study from 6:30pm to 7:00pm because of load shedding yesterday even though she has to appear at the test the next morning.

"If there are power cuts during our exams, we will be in trouble and it will affect our grades," she said.

Sohran Hossen Shanto, an examinee from Kochashahar Shilpa Nagari College in Gobindaganj, Gaibandha, said his studies were frequently interrupted over the last few days.

Prof Tapan yesterday said, "Many centres do not have generators. We believe the centres in rural areas will not face any serious problem because there is enough daylight. But many centres in the cities are in crowded areas where there is not enough daylight."

The exam centre secretary was also asked to keep enough beds for dengue-infected students who partake in the exams and spray mosquito repellents in and around the exam centres.

A total of 12,03,407 examinees are expected to sit for the HSC exams at 2,649 centres in nine general, one madrasa and one technical  education boards.

This year's HSC exams are delayed by almost seven months due to Covid-19. The tests will be on a small syllabus and the duration of the exams will also be curtailed.