Taskin Ahmed Riyad, Editor || The 2026 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations begin across Bangladesh today (Thursday), with all nine general education boards conducting the exams using a unified question paper for the first time.A total of 2,697 examination centres have been brought under CCTV surveillance to ensure a fair and transparent examination process.Police officers deployed at examination centres will wear body-worn cameras, while the Ministry of Education's monitoring cell in Dhaka will be able to observe examination activities at any centre across the country in real time.Previously, each general education board held HSC examinations using separate question papers. This year, however, the examinations are being conducted under the full syllabus with a common question paper.The Bangla First Paper examination will be held from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm today. Candidates have been instructed to take their seats at least 30 minutes before the examination begins. The written examinations will continue until August 8, while practical examinations are scheduled to conclude by August 15.A total of 1,270,583 students from 9,439 educational institutions under 11 education boards are taking part in this year's examinations. The information was announced by Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon during a press conference held at the Ministry of Education on Wednesday.The minister said the government has taken all necessary measures to ensure that the examinations are conducted in a fair, orderly and malpractice-free environment.Among the candidates, 1,069,714 are from the general education boards, 92,905 are under the Madrasah Education Board, and 107,964 are appearing under the Bangladesh Technical Education Board.According to ministry data, 621,969 male and 648,614 female students are participating in the examinations.Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has imposed restrictions on public movement within 200 yards of examination centres in the capital. Only candidates and officials directly involved in the examinations will be allowed to enter the restricted areas.Strict Measures for Answer Script EvaluationSpeaking at the press conference, the education minister said the government will adopt stricter measures in evaluating answer scripts this year. Examiners will receive additional training, fewer answer scripts will be assigned to each examiner, and education boards will randomly re-evaluate selected answer scripts to ensure accuracy and fairness.He also said the government remains highly vigilant against question paper leaks.The minister warned that any examiner found to have assessed answer scripts negligently or awarded marks arbitrarily would face disciplinary action.To prevent question paper leaks, the government has strengthened legal measures and prepared three separate sets of question papers. Authorities also warned that strict legal action would be taken against anyone spreading rumours or fake question papers on social media.Government Working on Coordinated University Admission TestsEducation Minister Milon said the government is working to coordinate university admission examinations following the publication of the HSC and equivalent examination results.He said discussions have already been held with university vice-chancellors, and a coordinated admission framework is expected to be announced before the admission process begins.Number of Candidates by Education BoardAmong the general education boards, Dhaka Education Board has the highest number of candidates, with 300,393 students appearing in the examinations. Barishal Education Board has the lowest, with 58,664 candidates.Rajshahi Education Board has 140,830 candidates, followed by Jashore with 117,210, Dinajpur with 113,479, Chattogram with 99,688, Cumilla with 94,802, Mymensingh with 73,037 and Sylhet with 71,611 candidates.Compared to last year, the number of candidates under the general education boards has increased by 14,316. The Madrasah Education Board has recorded an increase of 6,803 candidates, while the Technical Education Board has seen a decrease of 1,647 candidates.New National Curriculum from 2028The education minister also announced that a new national curriculum for primary and secondary education will be introduced from 2028, as implementing it in 2027 is no longer feasible due to time constraints.A committee has already been formed to develop the new curriculum.Responding to a question on whether the curriculum would be introduced simultaneously from Grades 1 to 10, the minister said changes would be implemented wherever necessary.The Prime Minister's Adviser on Education, Mahdi Amin, said the new curriculum would place greater emphasis on culture and sports alongside textbook-based learning.He also announced that technical and vocational education will become compulsory from Grade 6, initially through theoretical instruction and later through practical training.