The Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent examinations, which were suspended part-way through their schedule amid the violence surrounding the quota reform protest movement, have been cancelled in the face of student protests.

Tapan Kumar Sarker, chairman of the Dhaka Education Board and head of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee, confirmed the matter on Tuesday, saying:

“The remaining examinations will not be held. The process by which the results will be determined will be announced at a later date.”

The decision came after students demanding the cancellation of the remaining Higher Secondary Certificate examinations entered the Secretariat area on Tuesday.

Over 500 students marched from the Central Shaheed Minar at 2pm and entered the Secretariat premises.

They gathered in front of Building No. 6 to demand that the suspended examinations be scrapped and results announced based on the previous tests.

The public exams had been suspended amid the nationwide violence surrounding the quota reform movement protests. Amid the unrest, educational institutions across the country closed on the night of Jul 16. The HSC and equivalent exams were suspended on Jul 18.

The Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee suspended the exams indefinitely from Aug 1 when the situation deteriorated further.

Once the situation normalised, a new exam schedule was announced, with the tests set to resume on Aug 4. However, the exams were then suspended once more.

Another new schedule set Aug 11 as the date for the resumption of exams, but it was not possible to organise the exams at the time.

Finally, on Aug 15, another new schedule was announced for the exams. This schedule says the suspended exams would resume from Sept 11.