The exam-postponement controversy

Severe monsoon flooding struck Bangladesh in mid-2026; one contemporaneous report cited 54 deaths and around six lakh people affected across seven districts. [5] As Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations proceeded, exams under the Chattogram Education Board — covering Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari — were repeatedly postponed on account of flooding, and were ultimately suspended through 16 July, while boards elsewhere continued on schedule. [6][7][9]

The government declined a nationwide postponement, and its stated reasoning rests on a structural change: for the first time, the 2026 HSC exams used a single common question paper across all boards. [11][12] The Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee argued that, under a common-question-paper system, it is not practical to suspend exams nationally because of a disruption affecting only one board, and warned that repeated postponement would delay results and university admissions. [8] Ahead of the exams, the ministry said three separate question-paper sets had been prepared for each subject to handle emergencies. [10] Milon and the ministry have consistently characterised exam suspension and “auto-pass” as undesirable rather than routine tools. [14]

The 180-day plan and its promises

In June 2025, before the election, BNP unveiled an economic action plan for its first 180 days in office, spanning ten priority sectors including education. [13] After taking office, the education ministry set out a 12-point reform agenda and said a 180-day roadmap for the sector would follow. [14] Among the pledges tied to the BNP manifesto and the ministry’s agenda were the “One Teacher, One Tab” scheme; 25,000 multimedia classrooms; free Wi-Fi; a unique student “Edu-ID”; and curriculum reform. [14][15][16]

Two figures are worth stating precisely, because they are easy to overstate. On Wi-Fi, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told parliament that free Wi-Fi would be introduced in 15,000 institutions, with a separate 180-day rollout pledged for 2,336 technical and 8,232 madrasa institutions — there is no single “15,000 institutions” figure in the government’s statements. [16] On identity, the pledge is a unique digital “Edu-ID” for every student and teacher. [16]

Delivered versus announced

As of the FY2026-27 budget, the government describes these programmes as being rolled out in phases rather than completed. In his June 2026 budget remarks, Milon said the ministry was implementing “One Teacher, One Tab,” under which every teacher would receive a tablet, and was establishing 25,000 multimedia classrooms, with a further 20,000 planned at the secondary and higher-secondary levels and 30,000 teachers in specialised training. [15] In other words, the flagship promises exist as funded, announced, phased programmes; independently verifiable completed delivery remains limited this early in the term. [15]

Appointments and the “no politics in education” pledge

The ministry pledged to keep education non-political. State Minister Bobby Hajjaj said the government would not do politics with education, and Milon said curriculum and textbook experts would be chosen on a non-partisan basis. [17][27]

At the same time, the government moved quickly on senior university appointments. In March 2026 it appointed new vice-chancellors to eight public universities — including Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi — in an announcement made by Milon, and did so without going through the reformed search committee. [18][19] Asked whether the appointments were political, Milon responded by questioning whether engaging in politics is itself a disqualification. [18] Transparency International Bangladesh subsequently alleged that vice-chancellors had been appointed on political considerations; Milon declined to comment on that report. [19][21] Further rounds followed, including eleven more vice-chancellors — among them BUET’s — in May. [20] The figure of eight appointees corresponds specifically to the March round.

The delays: curriculum, coaching centres, mental health

Curriculum. A full new national curriculum for primary and secondary levels, once anticipated for 2027, will now be introduced from 2028; Milon cited time constraints and said a committee had been formed to prepare it. Four new subjects are still due to arrive in classrooms from 2027. [21][22][23]

Coaching centres. The government’s stated aim is to eliminate commercial coaching, but through a phase-out rather than an immediate ban: the draft Education Act, 2026 proposes shutting down coaching, guidebooks and private tuition within three to five years of enactment, and in April Milon spoke of bringing coaching centres under a legal framework. [24][25] Reporting notes that across roughly 25 years, repeated closure orders have produced no permanent closures. [26]

Mental health. Milon announced in March 2026 that physical education, mental-health education and arts would be made compulsory for all students from Class IV, with assessments introduced — a change tied to the curriculum revision and therefore not yet in force. [27][28]

Exam pressure and student wellbeing

Concern about exam-related distress among students is well documented. Peer-reviewed research has analysed student suicides in Bangladesh following the publication of public-exam results, and news reporting during the 2026 HSC season included the death of a candidate whom police preliminarily believed had died by suicide, with investigators examining whether exam-related pressure was a factor. [29][30][31]

Sources & further reading

31 references · all links live at time of writing

The Business Standard ×8 The Daily Star ×6 bdnews24.com ×4 Prothom Alo ×2 Dhaka Tribune ×2 BSS ×2 New Age ×2 See all 31 →

1. The Business Standard — www.tbsnews.net
2. Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
3. Al Jazeera — www.aljazeera.com
4. The Daily Star — www.thedailystar.net
5. The Business Standard — www.tbsnews.net
6. Prothom Alo — en.prothomalo.com
7. The Daily Star — www.thedailystar.net
8. Prothom Alo — en.prothomalo.com
9. The Business Standard — www.tbsnews.net
10. bdnews24.com — bdnews24.com
11. The Business Standard — www.tbsnews.net
12. The Daily Star — www.thedailystar.net
13. Dhaka Tribune — www.dhakatribune.com
14. Bonik Barta — en.bonikbarta.com
15. BSS — www.bssnews.net
16. The Business Standard — www.tbsnews.net
17. BSS — www.bssnews.net
18. New Age — www.newagebd.net
19. New Age — www.newagebd.net
20. bdnews24.com — bdnews24.com
21. Dhaka Tribune — www.dhakatribune.com
22. The Business Standard — www.tbsnews.net
23. The Daily Star — www.thedailystar.net
24. The Daily Star — www.thedailystar.net
25. The Business Standard — www.tbsnews.net
26. Bangladesh Post — www.bangladeshpost.net
27. The Daily Star — www.thedailystar.net
28. bdnews24.com — bdnews24.com
29. bdnews24.com — bdnews24.com
30. MultiPsych (Wiley Online Library) — onlinelibrary.wiley.com
31. The Business Standard — www.tbsnews.net