Instead, a new marking system will be introduced whereby students will be evaluated on the basis of their performances in the JSC and SSC exams, Education Minister Dipu Moni said in a media briefing on Wednesday.
"The HSC exams in 2020 will not be directly held but we've decided to use a different assessment method. They have already passed two public examinations. The results of HSC will therefore be determined by averaging the scores of their JSC and SSC exams,” she explained.
The government is planning to announce the final results of the HSC exams by December so that the college admission process can start in January, said Dipu Moni.
LUCKY BREAK FOR 300,000 STUDENTS
The decision not to hold the HSC exams will come as music to the ears of those who were preparing for resits this year.
The new evaluation scheme will also apply to students who failed their exams last year, according to Dipu Moni.
Responding to a question on the matter, she said, "Those who failed last time will also be assessed on the basis of their JSC and SSC results."
Last year, over 1.3 million students took the HSC and equivalent examinations, among whom, 988,172 passed.
This means that the 348,457 examinees who failed their exams will be given their HSC certificates without having to reappear for the tests.
An examinee is only allowed to retake examinations in two subjects (maximum four papers) the following year if they fail at their first attempt. The HSC exams consist of 13 papers on seven subjects.