Students are lagging behind because academic activities aren't starting or ending on time. The academic year is also being delayed. In many cases, students are getting set back by several months just to get admitted. This is most prevalent at the higher secondary and tertiary education levels.
According to information, for the past few years, the SSC and equivalent exams were held in February and the HSC and equivalent exams were in April. Last year, the secondary public exams started on time in February.
The higher secondary exams were delayed by two months and started in June. This year, the SSC and equivalent exams started in April, and the HSC exams, like last year, began in June. The discrepancy in the start dates of these two public exams is throwing off the entire academic calendar.
After the results for the current 2025 academic session's SSC and equivalent exams were published, the admission process for eleventh grade has begun. According to the admission guidelines, classes for the higher secondary eleventh grade will start on September 15th.
However, most colleges can't begin classes on the scheduled date. This means that for the two-year HSC and equivalent academic term, students will have only a year and a half before their exams. They must complete the two-year curriculum within this shortened period.
Two years ago, university admissions for students who had passed the HSC and equivalent exams used to start in July-August. Now, this process is delayed by at least three months. Since the HSC and equivalent exams for the current year haven't fully concluded yet, the admission process is expected to begin around November.
All in all, universities may take until March or April to finish their admission processes. This same disorganized situation was observed in the last academic year. Due to the inability to complete the admission process quickly, students are losing nearly half a year. As a result, they fall behind in terms of time throughout their academic lives. Public universities also have their own set of political deadlocks and session jams.
Although the academic year is officially set to start in January, in reality, it gets delayed every year. Even with initiatives like book festivals to start classes in January at the school level, students aren't receiving all their books in January. In some cases, it's taking until February or even March to get the books. Students' coursework starts at least a month after the scheduled time.
Professor Siddiqur Rahman, former director of Dhaka University's Institute of Education and Research, told Bangladesh Pratidin, "In HSC, students have to finish a two-year course in a year and a half. It's very difficult for science students to complete the course in this time."
He added, "After the HSC and equivalent exam results are published and before getting admitted to universities and other higher education institutions, there's an academic gap of almost six months. During this time, some students do admission coaching, while many who are in financial hardship stay away from their studies. They fall behind here. Therefore, the university admission process should be faster."
This education expert further stated, "Providing books to students at the beginning of the year at the secondary level is a regular process. There is no logical reason for this delay. For the sake of education and nation-building, the government's policymakers must consider these issues and make necessary decisions."
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
