Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon has announced that this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations will be held using uniform question papers across the country’s nine general education boards, describing the move as part of efforts to reduce inequality in the education system.
The minister said strict measures would be taken to prevent any attempt to leak examination papers. “If any attempt is made to leak question papers this time, stern action will be taken against those involved so that other offenders get a lesson for lifetime,” he said.
He made the remarks while addressing a meeting with examination centre secretaries from the Barishal region ahead of the 2026 HSC and equivalent examinations. The event was organised by the Barishal Education Board at the Barisal Shilpakala Academy auditorium, according to a ministry press release.
Chaired by Barishal Divisional Commissioner Khalil Ahmed, the meeting was attended by local lawmakers, education board chairmen, university representatives and education officials.
Explaining the decision to introduce a common set of question papers, the minister questioned why different boards should have separate examinations when international qualifications follow a standard format.
“If the ‘O’ level or ‘A’ level exams can be conducted with the same questions all over the world, why will there be different questions for different boards in our country?” he said. “Board chairmen used to say earlier that they ask different question papers due to the fear of question leakage. I have said that question paper leakage will not be allowed.”
He said the government wanted to remove what he described as a perception of inequality among students, where some boards were seen as setting easier examinations than others.
“We have decided to conduct the HSC examination with uniform question papers to free students from the mentality of GPA discrimination, where question papers of one board are easy and question papers of another board are difficult,” he said.
The minister also criticised the education policies of the previous government, claiming they had contributed to declining academic standards and an emphasis on pass rates over merit.
“If those who have passed in this way become doctors and go to treat a sick person, they will have to read the books again keeping the patient in front of them. There is no alternative to merit,” he said.
He added that teachers had previously faced pressure to ensure high pass rates but said the current government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, was committed to restoring educational quality.
Addressing concerns over unpaid salaries for madrasa teachers, the minister said he was dissatisfied with delays in payments. He claimed that 17,000 teachers had been appointed through the Non-Government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) by the previous administration without corresponding budget allocations.
“I have released Tk100 crore from my ministry fund to Janata Bank only, with which one-fourth of the teachers will get their salaries. However, I assure you that by next July, your pending MPO and all pending salaries for May and June will be paid together,” he said.
Heads of secondary, higher secondary, madrasa and technical education institutions, along with examination-related officials from across the Barishal region, also attended the meeting.
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