Dhaka: Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Friday urged the opposition not to enforce any shutdown during the HSC examinations as the future of around 10 lakh students depends on this public exam.

"If the opposition parties want the wellbeing of the country they would not enforce any shutdown during the HSC examinations," said the education minister while talking to journalists at the introduction ceremony of Teaching Quality Improvement (TQI)-II project here.

"I would request the political parties not to do anything that may harm the students at this important time of building their lives," said Nahid.

The minister, however, expressed his firm determination to take steps to save the academic life of students and said the government would make alternative arrangement, including holding the examinations on weekends and public holidays, if the opposition parties impose shutdowns to hamper examinations.

The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams, one of the largest public exams, will begin on April 1. The written exams are scheduled to end on May 28 while the practical exams are due between June 1 and June 14.

Education Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Additional Secretary (Development) Iqbal Khan Chowdhury, Additional Secretary (Finance) SM Golam Faruk and Additional Secretary of the cabinet division Md Nazrul Islam, Prof Sheikh Ekramul Kabir, Prof. Depak Kumar Nath, TM Zakir Hossain, Khandker Ruhul Amin, among others, addressed it.

Project Director Joint Secretary Banomali Bhaumik chaired the programme.

The education minister said hartal must be stopped because it causes harm to the country. A student's eyes have been affected badly when pickets threw cocktails during strike in Chittagong Thursday last, he said, adding that the opposition parties must take the responsibility of destroying the future of this student.

Nahid said a total of 75 projects are now going on under the education ministry for the development of human resources. Such projects were discouraged during the previous government, he added.

"The government has taken these projects for building our new generation as worthy citizens of the country, if we are able to implement these projects properly, the society will enormously be benefited," he added.

The education ministry has taken the TQI-II project for teachers teaching students from class-IX to class-XII with the financial assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The ADB is giving US$ 70 million of the total project cost of $85 million. The government is providing the remaining $15 million. The five-year project which has been launched in July last year will end in 2017.

Ends/AMA/29/03/13