Bangladesh's Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon has directed schools to arrange in-house coaching programmes for students alongside completing the syllabus and conducting pre-test and test examinations.
He made the announcement on Wednesday while addressing a meeting of centre secretaries and district education officers on the upcoming Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations at Azimpur Government Girls' School and College in Dhaka.
The minister said schools must ensure that academic courses are completed on time and that students receive additional support through in-house coaching. He urged teachers to work with governing bodies to implement the initiative across all educational institutions.
"I would request teachers to discuss the matter with their governing bodies and ensure that in-house coaching is conducted in every school," he said.
Milon also outlined plans to reform the public examination calendar in an effort to reduce delays in students' academic progression. He said the government was working towards holding the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination in January from 2027, allowing public examinations to take place immediately after the completion of the two-year academic cycle.
He said the results of this year's SSC examinations are expected to be published on 20 July, while the HSC and equivalent examinations will begin on 2 July.
According to the minister, the current examination schedule often prolongs students' educational journeys. He noted that students typically begin school at the age of six and complete SSC at around 16, but delays in examinations and the publication of results extend the time needed to complete higher secondary education.
"At present, a student enters school at the age of six and completes SSC at around 16. The higher secondary stage then takes additional years to complete due to delays in examinations and publication of results," he said.
He added that students had previously reached the age of 20 before completing higher secondary education because of lengthy examination and result-processing periods.
"This leads to a loss of productive years and affects the country's demographic dividend," he said.
The minister said the government was working to align examinations with result publication schedules while ensuring the prescribed curriculum is fully completed. He added that planning for the 2027 SSC examination was taking Ramadan and Eid into consideration, while feedback from students, teachers and guardians was also being sought.
Addressing examination security, Milon said the government had adopted a strict approach towards cheating and digital fraud. He noted that examination malpractice had evolved over time, prompting amendments to laws governing public examinations.
"If evidence of cheating or digital fraud is found in any institution, accountability will not be limited to examinees alone. The heads of the institutions concerned will also be brought under scrutiny," he said.
The minister said authorities remained alert to the risk of question paper leaks and other irregularities. Recalling his involvement in monitoring examinations in the past, he said efforts had been made to identify weaknesses in the examination management system.
He added that a single-question-paper system had been introduced nationwide this year to strengthen security.
"No one will be spared if evidence of question leakage or examination irregularities is found anywhere in the country," he said.
Milon also announced measures to improve the quality of answer script assessment. He said concerns had previously been raised about the heavy workloads assigned to examiners, which could affect marking standards.
To address the issue, authorities have expanded examiner training, increased the number of examiners and reduced the number of answer scripts allocated to each examiner. Answer scripts will also be reviewed through sampling methods to ensure consistency and quality in marking.
Among those present at the meeting were Dhaka-7 lawmaker Hamidur Rahman, Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board Chairman Professor Akhtaruzzaman and board secretary Professor SM Kamal Uddin Haider.
