As Covid-19 has taken a turn for the worse again in Bangladesh, the government has asked the Cambridge International Examinations, a British exam board, not to conduct the forthcoming O Level and A Level examinations that are scheduled for April.
Through a gazette notification issued on Tuesday, the Secondary and Higher Education Division, under the Ministry of Education, said:” Considering the prevailing situation which is still beyond control due to the pandemic, no public exams under any Bangla medium or general educational institutions are taking place now, to ensure health safety of the students and teachers in Bangladesh.
“The Cambridge board exams in the UK and our neighbouring countries have already been cancelled due to the latest surge in Covid-19 cases," it adds.
Considering the overall situation, the circular says, it has been evident that it will not be logical to conduct the exams in the country.
“Hence, we urge that the O and A Level exams scheduled for April not be held,” it concludes.
Earlier, the British examination boards Pearson Edexcel International announced on February 3 that its international exams would not go ahead as planned this summer.
On January 28, OxfordAQA, a major UK examination board, said it would be impossible to go ahead with the exams as planned because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Weeks ago, UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove announced that board exams, including GCSEs and A Levels, would be cancelled this year.
Students in Bangladesh will be affected by the decision as many sit a combination of GCSEs and International GCSEs, A Levels and International A Levels.
This will be the second year in a row that grades are awarded based on teacher assessments due to the pandemic.