Protest demanding education minister’s resignation held by HSC examinees, not ‘SSC-failed’ students
A video has been circulating on social media with the claim that students are demanding the education minister’s resignation after “failing the SSC examination.” However, a Dismislab fact-check found that the footage shows a protest by HSC examinees on July 15.
The video was published on August 10 by a Facebook page named “Chomotkar TV.” The post’s caption read, “A march by students demanding the education minister’s resignation after failing the SSC examination.” As of the publication of this report, it had received nearly 11,000 reactions and had been shared more than 150 times.
The video was also spread through multiple other Facebook posts with the same claim (1, 2). The same video was also found on YouTube.
To verify the authenticity, several keyframes from the video were used for reverse image searches. The search found videos published on various social media platforms on July 15 (1, 2, 3). The description of a video published on a YouTube channel named “Alochonaar Ashor” stated, “HSC students’ protest across Dhaka against the Education Minister on the second day.” A post by a Facebook page named News Depend Live said, “The Secretariat area erupted with slogans demanding Education Minister Milon’s resignation!” The descriptions of these videos show that they are, in fact, footage of the HSC examinees’ protest on July 15. The scenes and individuals in these videos match those in the circulating video.
A keyword search related to the claim found multiple news reports on the matter. In a video published on July 15 on the Facebook page of Dainik Kalbela, the student chanting slogans is the same student seen chanting slogans in the circulating video. The Kalbela post said, “Students march toward the Secretariat demanding the education minister’s resignation.”
The same student seen in the circulating video, along with the surrounding scene, can also be seen in a photograph accompanying a report published by bdnews24.com on July 15, titled “Examinees’ ‘long march’ toward Secretariat demanding education minister’s resignation.” The report said, “HSC examinees have begun a ‘long march’ toward the Education Ministry at the Secretariat with three demands, including the resignation of ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon from the post of education minister.”
In other words, although the footage in the video circulating on social media is authentic, the claim attached to it “Students march demanding the education minister’s resignation after failing the SSC examination,” is not accurate. Footage from the HSC examinees’ protest is being circulated with a new claim.
It is worth noting that the results of the SSC and equivalent examinations were published on August 10. A total of 62.25 percent of students passed; this was the lowest pass rate in the past 19 years.
