Photo: HSC examinees blockaded key intersections and marched toward education boards, demanding an immediate halt to exams amid severe weather conditions.
BREAKING: HSC Examinees Take to Streets Nationwide, Demand Education Minister’s Resignation
National Desk | GenZ Frontier | July 14, 2026
DHAKA — A massive wave of coordinated student unrest has paralyzed key parts of Bangladesh today as Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinees took to the streets nationwide. The protesting students are demanding the immediate resignation of Education Minister Dr. ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon following the ministry's controversial decision to push ahead with ongoing board examinations despite relentless rain, severe waterlogging, and sweeping flood conditions.
Demonstrations erupted simultaneously in multiple major urban centers and districts, including Dhaka, Savar, Barishal, Cumilla, Narayanganj, Jashore, Bogura, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, and Tangail. Beyond the immediate resignation of the minister, the students have put forward a comprehensive list of grievances, seeking the immediate postponement of all remaining HSC exams, a completely revised examination schedule, and mandatory re-tests for flood-hit candidates who were recorded as absent due to the environmental crisis.
Chaos in the Capital: From Science Lab to Board Clashes
In Dhaka, the unrest began early in the day when hundreds of students, joined by several concerned guardians, marched onto the busy Science Laboratory intersection around 11:00 am. By staging a sit-in, the protesters completely disrupted vehicular movement in the highly congested area, forcing the deployment of additional police forces to monitor the situation.
Chanting slogans such as "No politics in education" and "We want the education minister's resignation," the candidates detailed the extreme struggles they faced just to reach their respective test centers. Protesters reported having to wade through knee-to-waist-deep water and mud, while others in severely flooded zones had to travel by boat. The students alleged that these conditions caused widespread delays, leaving many examinees unable to arrive at their exam halls on time.
The standoff escalated around noon when a police team led by an additional deputy commissioner of the Ramna Division approached the crowd. The officer requested the students to nominate a five-member delegation to sit down for formal talks with the relevant authorities. However, the students outright rejected the proposal and intensified their agitation.
The procession then marched toward the Dhaka University campus, where police intervened and halted their progress near the VC Chattar. Driven away from the university grounds, the determined examinees redirected their march directly toward the Dhaka Education Board.
Tensions reached a boiling point when police stopped the procession at the entrance around 3:00 pm. Frustrated by the barricades, some students began hurling brick chips at the board building, prompting an intense security standoff that lasted late into the night.
Anger Over "Farm Chickens" Remark and Question Paper Flaws
The nationwide outrage stems from a deep-seated frustration with what the students call severe administrative failures and continuous "experiments" with the country's examination system. The flames of anger were further fanned by a highly controversial remark attributed to the Education Minister.
"We want the minister's resignation because he is not working for students' welfare. Instead, he called us 'farm chickens'," one protester stated during the demonstration.
Academic grievances have added fuel to the fire. A protesting student from BAF Shaheen College alleged that candidates are being unfairly forced to sit for examinations that contain blatant errors in the question papers. Furthermore, examinees from multiple regions complained that the question papers were set at an unnecessarily difficult level, showing a total lack of empathy for the disrupted academic year caused by the changing climate and natural disasters. The students are demanding a formal public apology to both the teaching community and the student body.
Regional Paralyzed: Chattogram and Barishal Under Blockade
The unrest was equally severe outside the capital. In Chattogram, HSC candidates representing several local colleges converged in front of the Chattogram Education Board around 12:30 pm, immediately blockading the road.
Witnesses stated that the blockade brought traffic in the surrounding areas to a complete standstill for several hours. The protesters argued for educational equity, highlighting that candidates living in flood-affected districts have completely lost their study materials and have been left without access to electricity, rendering them unable to prepare fairly. While board officials attempted to pacify the crowd by promising to convey their demands to higher authorities, the students refused to disperse easily.
In Barishal, the protest resulted in severe logistical paralysis. A large contingent of HSC examinees gathered at the Natullabad bus terminal, completely blocking the vital Dhaka-Barishal highway at around 12:15 pm.
The highway blockade brought transportation to a absolute halt, disrupting traffic on 32 critical inter-district bus routes and cutting off primary transit lines between Dhaka and Barishal. The disruption left thousands of commuters stranded, creating massive tailbacks that stretched for miles on both sides of the highway. Undeterred by the nighttime conditions, the students maintained their blockade until at least 10:00 pm, when this report was finalized.
As the nationwide standoff between the student body and the education ministry deepens, the government has yet to announce any formal changes to the examination schedule or address the mounting calls for administrative accountability.
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