After more than a week of uncertainty, an indefinite suspension, and a student memo demanding this outcome, the Chattogram Board of Education has finally set a resumption date. The Minister of Education confirmed on Thursday, July 23, that HSC and equivalent exams under the board’s jurisdiction will resume on July 27 and run until August 8.
Dr. A. N. M. Ehsanul Haque Milon announced the news during a press conference at the International Mother Tongue Institute in the capital. His announcement clarifies a question that has worried students in the region since the board indefinitely suspended all remaining exams on July 16.
How the Restart Actually Works
The structure of the return to exams is just as important as the date itself, and it’s essential to understand it clearly to avoid confusion.
Phase One, starting July 27: Exams that were already included in the original pre-flood schedule but had not yet taken place will resume as planned, until August 8. According to the minister, after that date, exams will proceed as normal, following the established schedule.
Phase Two, after the completion of the first: Once these remaining regular exams are completed, the board will address the exams that were suspended due to the floods—those that test takers were unable to take during the disruption. A separate schedule for these suspended exams will be published by the board, which has not yet been released.
In short: Test takers at Chattogram Board face two distinct phases of exams, not a single recovery schedule: first, the subjects they have left to complete, and then, the recovery exams for those that were suspended due to the floods.
Relief for Science Students: The Physics Retake
One announcement in particular will be of enormous importance to a specific group of students. Science students who were unable to take their Physics exam due to the floods will now have the opportunity to do so through a registration process that the board will open for this purpose.
This directly addresses one of the most pressing complaints that arose in the wake of the crisis. Physics was one of the subjects most affected by the chaos caused by the floods, and students who were unable to take the exam were left without a clear path forward. The possibility of retaking the exam through pre-registration resolves this issue.
A Restart Five Days in the Making
Those who follow our coverage of this story will recognize the significance of today’s announcement. Chattogram Board’s exam schedule had been unraveling since early July: single-day postponements gave way to multi-day suspensions and, finally, an indefinite suspension on July 16, leaving students in the region without exam dates.
Just three days after that indefinite suspension, some of the same students who had demanded the exams be suspended returned to the board with a new memo, this time requesting a prompt resumption, provided the new schedule included a “logical gap” between subjects to avoid a rushed, consecutive calendar. Today’s announcement, which spaces out regular exams from July 27 to August 8 before even beginning the suspended ones, appears to reflect precisely that timeframe, although the board has not explicitly credited the memo for choosing the schedule.
One Complication Worth Watching
Those taking the exam and their parents should be aware that the weather remains a critical factor. Forecasts issued around the same time as this announcement warn of very heavy rainfall in several regions over the next 24 hours, with a risk of landslides specifically in Chattogram. Given the importance of weather conditions to this entire process, families should consider July 27 as the target date, remaining attentive to any last-minute updates from the examining board should conditions worsen.
What Chattogram Examinees Should Do Now
- Mark July 27 as the restart for your regular remaining papers, continuing through August 8 on the original routine
- Watch for the separate new routine covering the flood-suspended papers — we will publish it the moment the board releases it
- Science students who missed Physics: watch for the registration announcement and complete it promptly once it opens
- Keep an eye on weather updates, particularly given the landslide risk flagged for the region in the days ahead
- Rely only on official board notices — after this many schedule changes, fake “routine” images are more likely than ever to circulate
For a region that has endured flooding, an indefinite suspension, protests, and then a plea for resumption, July 27 finally gives Chattogram students taking the HSC exam something they haven’t had in weeks: a date to prepare. We will keep you updated on the suspended exam schedule and any further developments as soon as they are confirmed. Stay tuned; and for Chattogram students, this stage is almost over.
