Opening deferred, but uncertainty lingers

Although today's start of the SSC and equivalent exams has been deferred due to hartal, worries remain for around 15 lakh students and their guardians over how the exams would be held amid the continued street violence.

The exams will now begin on Wednesday and the rest as per the routine. Today's tests will be held at 9:00am on Friday, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said yesterday.  

Briefing reporters at his ministry, he said no exams would take place during hartal. 

"We hope there would be no hartal and blockade in the days to come," the minister said.

The announcement, barely 24 hours before the tests, brought a temporary relief, but candidates and their parents want the government to clarify how the examinations will be held with the nonstop blockade in place.

To make things worse, the BNP and its allies yesterday threatened to extend the shutdown and continue the blockade if the Internet, telephone and cable network services to the BNP chief's Gulshan office were not restored immediately.

"We thank the minister for postponing the exams. But what about the blockade? Should we let our children go to the exam halls amid violence and put their lives at risk?" said Monirul Islam, father of an examinee of the capital.

"Who will take the responsibility if a student gets hurt on the way?" he said.

Meanwhile, teachers said the ongoing political deadlock has been playing havoc with the academic activities from the beginning of the session. It would take long to recover the loss even if the standoff ended today.

"In fact, we doubt whether we could make up for this loss at all," said Shahan Ara Begum, principal of Ideal School and College, Motijheel.

"If the SSC exams are deferred, classes [of other grades] will be deferred. And we won't be able to give classes on Fridays as most of the postponed examinations will be held on weekends,” she told The Daily Star.

She added they were already planning to give lessons during the two-week summer vacation.

Education ministry sources said if the SSC exams continued to be postponed, it would affect the HSC exams, due to begin in the first week of April.

In 2013, the education ministry had to reschedule 37 papers of the SSC exams and 35 of the HSC exams due to shutdowns called by the BNP-led alliance.

This time around, academic activities of all educational institutions have been facing a serious setback since the beginning of the new session. Defying a hartal on the very first day of the year, primary and secondary students collected textbooks from schools. But they could not attend classes properly.

Most schools in the capital are officially open, but turnout is thin. Fearing violence on the streets, many guardians do not send their children to schools.

The unrest is not only putting psychological pressure on the children as their freedom of movement is being restricted, but is also disrupting their everyday life.

"The regular routine of the children has gone haywire," said Rawnak Hasan, a father.

"My son used to get up at 6:30am. Now, he wakes up at 9:00am but finds nothing to do. He spends most of his time playing games on mobile phone and computer or watching television," he said.

Romana Khan, a mother, said, "Children usually do not like to study if there are no classes. And I cannot press my kids either.”

Students of English medium schools are equally affected by the ongoing political unrest. Most schools are not giving classes.

"Since the school is closed, I cannot send my son even to his tutors. He gets bored at home.... Political leaders should understand they are ruining the future of the country," said another mother.