The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations of 2027 will begin on 7 January and conclude on 6 February 2027. Meanwhile, the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations will start on 6 June 2027 and continue until 13 July.

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon announced the dates for these two major examinations for next year at a press briefing held at the Secretariat Thursday. After the press conference, a tentative schedule was also shared with journalists.

The minister said that, in order to save students’ academic time, the long-term goal is to gradually shift both SSC and HSC examinations to December.

Earlier on Wednesday, in a view-exchange at the Secretariat, students and stakeholders had said that moving the 2027 SSC and HSC examinations to December ‘suddenly’ would not be appropriate.

They suggested that the SSC exam could be held in January next year and the HSC in June. Following those views, the education minister has now announced the specific examination schedule.

At the press conference, the minister said that around 4 million (40 lakh) candidates sit for the SSC and HSC and equivalent examinations, which are crucial for their education and future. In normal circumstances, a student may complete SSC at the age of 16 and HSC at 18. However, it has been observed that it takes until the age of 20 to complete HSC.

In demographic terms, this effectively pushes the nation back by about 4 million (40 lakh) student-years. In that context, efforts are being made to complete the syllabus and reduce session delays, with a gradual reduction of the gap as the goal, he added.

The education minister further said that the government’s target is to make December the ideal month for examinations, both SSC and HSC. Work has already begun towards that goal.

However, he said following discussions with stakeholders, the SSC examination for next year will begin on 7 January and end on 6 February, partly due to Ramadan. The HSC examination will begin on 6 June and end on 13 July.

In response to journalists’ questions, the education minister said that the government is working to introduce a system for evaluating examination answer scripts through amendments to the law. He said the amendment could be passed in the next parliamentary session.

Notably, there is no system for full re-evaluation of answer scripts at present. Only re-scrutiny is allowed now, which checks for errors in addition or subtraction of marks or other major mistakes in marking.

The SSC and HSC as well as their equivalent examinations are the country’s most important public examinations, with hundreds of thousands of students participating each year. At present, a student who completes Class 10 takes the SSC exam the following year, and a similar system applies for the HSC.

For a long time, SSC examinations were held in early February and HSC examinations in early April. However, following the COVID-19 situation, this schedule could no longer be maintained and has been further delayed. This year (2026), SSC examinations began on 21 April, while HSC examinations will begin in July.

Against this backdrop, discussions were recently held at the Ministry of Education in a meeting on the smooth organisation of the 2026 HSC examinations, including a proposal to hold both SSC and HSC exams within December.

However, after the proposal to shift the 2027 SSC and HSC examinations to December was announced, it drew reactions. Even in Wednesday’s formal stakeholder meeting, most participants opposed holding the 2027 examinations in December with some suggesting a gradual transition.

At present, the academic year for primary and secondary levels runs from January to December, while the higher secondary academic year begins in July. The academic session in higher education also starts in July. Educationists have long argued that holding examinations at a fixed time each year would be beneficial, but only if implemented in a coordinated and planned manner.

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