JSC, JDC exams unlikely this year

The government is likely to cancel this year's Junior School Certificate (JSC) and its equivalent Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) exams due to the pandemic.

Last year, the government cancelled the exams meant for graduating from class-VIII due to the Covid-19 situation.

This year's Primary Education Completion (PEC) and its equivalent Ibtedayi Education Completion exams, meant for class-V students, have also become uncertain.

The government is likely to hold school-based final exams for students class-VI, -VII and -IX. If the government cancels JSC and JDC exams, students of class-VIII would need to sit for annual exams.

"There is hardly any scope for holding this year's JSC exams, with the time we have in our hands. There are SSC and HSC exams," Education Minister Dipu Moni said yesterday.

"Class-VIII students will need to take annual exams at schools," she said while talking to reporters after attending a programme at the Gono Bhaban marking the birthday of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

SSC and its equivalent exams would begin on November 14 and conclude on November 23. HSC exams would start on December 2 and end on December 30.

PEC and its equivalent exams and JSC and its equivalent exams are the two largest public examinations and they are usually held in November.

With this announcement, it is clear that there will be no JSC and JDC exams this year, said a top education ministry official.

Several board officials said they were yet to start preparing questions for JSC exams.

Dipu Moni said the primary and mass education ministry has the final say about the PEC and its equivalent exams.

The PEC exams was introduced in 2009 and the JSC exams a year later. Each year around 3 million and 2.5 million students sit for PEC and JSC exams.

Early this month, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Zakir Hossen said PEC exams were likely to be held in late November or early December, if the Covid-19 situation improved.