Bangladesh’s Ministry of Education and the country’s education boards are facing mounting criticism over their decision to continue the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations despite persistent heavy rainfall and widespread waterlogging in several parts of the country.
The controversy has intensified after a recorded telephone conversation between Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon and an HSC candidate was widely shared on social media.
The recording has prompted strong reactions from students, parents and online users, with some HSC candidates calling for demonstrations demanding the minister’s resignation.
The discussion is understood to have taken place on Sunday evening after the parent of a student from Dhaka City College contacted the minister through WhatsApp before handing the phone to the student.
According to people familiar with the matter, the conversation was recorded on another mobile phone before later being circulated online.
During the call, the minister explained the discussions that took place before the decision was made to continue the examinations.
In the recording, the minister is heard saying of the students: "They're like farm chickens. If they get wet in a little rain, they come down with a fever." The video spread widely on Facebook on Monday night, triggering widespread outrage among HSC examinees.
The minister also told the student that he had personally supported postponing the examinations but said the final decision was reached after consultations with deputy commissioners and weather experts. According to his account, officials were informed that rainfall would ease by Sunday night and that conditions would improve on Monday, leading authorities to proceed with the examination schedule.
The student responded by saying that many candidates had already become ill after travelling to previous examinations in heavy rain.
She said students from her college had been soaked during earlier examination days and that several were suffering from fever as a result.
In response, the minister said a meeting involving relevant authorities had continued until late afternoon and that participants believed both institutions and students were prepared to continue.
He repeated that he had been the strongest supporter of postponement but accepted the collective decision. He encouraged the student to focus on her examinations and wished her success.
The conversation also turned to the examination timetable. The student expressed concern about the limited gap between papers, particularly for subjects such as higher mathematics and physics, saying that revising large sections of the syllabus within a single day was difficult.
The minister replied that the timetable had been prepared after discussions with all relevant stakeholders.
He said he had invited feedback during the planning process and would have considered changes had significant objections been raised.
He added that officials had rejected an earlier proposal to hold examinations in both morning and afternoon sessions because it would place excessive pressure on students. Instead, the current schedule was designed to provide at least a one-day break between examinations.
Bringing the conversation to a close, the minister advised the student not to worry and suggested she have a hot cup of coffee and continue preparing for her remaining examinations.
The wider debate over the HSC examinations has continued as heavy rain and flooding have disrupted daily life in several districts.
Many students and parents have argued that travelling to examination centres has become increasingly difficult and that the health risks should have been given greater weight when deciding whether to proceed with the examinations.
The Ministry of Education has not issued a further public response to the criticism surrounding the viral recording. Attempts by local media to obtain additional comment from the minister following the circulation of the audio were unsuccessful.
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