Staff Reporter :
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has announced that there will be no first and second terminal examinations for students in grades one to three, aligning with the new curriculum.
Despite this change, continuous assessment of students will persist during this period. To oversee assessment procedures, the ministry has established a high-level committee.
Secretary Farid Ahmed of the Primary and Mass Education Ministry conveyed this information to journalists during a press conference at the secretariat on Thursday.
He emphasised that primary school assessment activities will remain ongoing until the committee provides recommendations and final decisions.
Shah Rejwan Hayat, the Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education, also attended the press conference to provide insights into the matter.
For so long, students in government primary schools have been assessed three times a year.
Since this year, with the introduction of the new curriculum up to the third grade, the journalists asked whether there would be first and second terminal or annual examinations as before until the third grade.
In response, Secretary Farid Ahmed said, ” The main point is that there will be no first and second terminals up to the third grade. The assessment method will be different.
There will be assessment, but it will not be traditional like before; there will be continuous assessment.”
The Secretary further stated, “This assessment will be done through an app. The app has already been developed.
We will receive assistance from it. The main point is that there will be no first and second terminals up to the third grade.
So that teachers can assess quickly, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) is developing an app.”
Regarding the assessment, the secretary said, “The assessment will be continuous. It means observing a student’s overall behaviour, which is the means of assessment.
But up to the third grade, we have exempted them from written exams, freeing them from the burden of bookish understanding.”
Last year, the implementation of the new curriculum began at the primary and secondary levels. The new curriculum was implemented in the first, sixth, and seventh grades in the first year.
And in the new academic year started in January, implementation of the new curriculum has begun in the second, third, eighth, and ninth grades. The twelfth grade (higher secondary) will be implemented in the curriculum in 2027.