The Secondary School Certificate and equivalent examinations are set to begin on Friday amid immense insecurity centering the ongoing political violence erupted from countrywide hartal and blockade enforced by BNP-led 20-Party Alliance.

Students on Friday will sit for Bangla first part examination, which was deferred from February 2. The exam will continue from 9:00am to 12:00pm at 3,116 exam centres across the country. 

Some 14.79lakh students are appearing at the examination this year. Among them, 7.63 lakh are boys and 7.15 lakh are girls from 27,808 institutions.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid and high ups from the law enforcement agencies have given assurance about the security of the students saying that candidates will be guarded on their way to exam centres.

The parents, however, are still anxious as they think security measures taken up by the law enforcers for the students are not sufficient.

‘By allowing our children to go out and attend the exam, we are putting their lives at stake, but we do not have any choice left either,’ said Nazrul Islam, father of an examinee in the capital.
Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque said law enforcers will be patrolling the streets to provide protection to the SSC candidates. 

‘Members of Ansar and Border Guard Bangladesh will also be positioned to secure the students,’ he added.

However, a guardian from Chittagong has disagreed with the assurance saying that it will not possible for police alone to secure 15lakh students.

‘It will take about an hour to reach the exam centre from our home. How the police alone could ensure our security for all along the way? Is it really possible to ensure security for all 15 lakh examinees?’ questioned Syeda Kawsar Parvin, a guardian from Chittagong.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid also expected that there will not be any attacks on holidays. 

‘I do not believe that any person can bar students in taking part in their most important exam on holiday. Along with law enforcers, we are mainly relying on the conscience of people. We hope, everyone, including Khaleda Zia, will help the students to take part in the exam through instructing her party activists to cooperate students in this process,’ he said.