Benapole's Afia, Who Sat Her HSC Exam Leaving Her Father's Body at Home, Earns an A Grade

Afia Khatun Masuma of Benapole sat her HSC examinations leaving her father's dead body at home. Carrying the grief of losing her father, she completed all her exams. In the 2026 HSC results published on Saturday (31 October), Afia obtained an A grade.

Afia sat the HSC examination from the science stream of Sharsha Upazila College in Jashore. She is the youngest daughter of the late Abdus Samad of the Namajgram area under Benapole Port police station. Her father was the proprietor of Messrs Tajmahal Transport and Haji Mucha Karim and Sons in Benapole, and was also an importer.

Family and college sources said Abdus Samad fell ill at home on the evening of 28 July. He died on the way to hospital. His body was brought home at night.

The next morning, as relatives were preparing for the burial, Afia left for her HSC examination, leaving her father's body at home. She sat the exam at the Benapole College centre. After the exam, she returned home and took part in her father's burial.

Though devastated by her father's death, Afia decided to sit the exams on the advice of her relatives. The burial time was even postponed so she could see her father one last time. Before leaving for the exam, however, she told her relatives to complete the burial without her if necessary. She finished the remaining exams while grieving her father.

After the results were published, Afia said her father always wanted her results to be good. Losing her father during the exams was the hardest moment of her life. She said she steadied herself and sat the exams thinking of fulfilling her father's dream.

She added that she could have done better. While writing in the exam hall, her dead father's face kept appearing before her eyes. Had her father been alive, he would have been very happy to see this result. She asked everyone to pray for her father.

Sharsha Upazila College principal Hasan-uz-Zaman said Afia had been a meritorious and hardworking student from the start, and teachers had expected her to do well. By sitting the exam during the examination period leaving her father's body at home, she has upheld the honour of the college, he said.

The principal said taking the exam while bearing such a great personal loss and earning an A grade shows Afia's extraordinary mental strength. Everyone at the college is happy with her result. Teachers had expected her to obtain GPA-5 had her father not died. He hoped Afia would continue her success in the future.

Sharsha upazila secondary education officer Abul Kalam Azad said losing a father is painful for anyone. That Afia sat the HSC exam carrying that grief and achieved a good result is happy news. He said the upazila administration would stand beside the meritorious student, and maximum support would be given for her higher education if her family sought help.

Afia's success has created an emotional atmosphere of joy among her family, teachers and classmates.