Bangladesh

Bangladesh Biology Olympiad, 152/1, First floor, Green road, Panthapath signal, Adjacent to Health and Hope Hospital, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

bdbo.org

Till now, we have been arranging ten Regional Biology Olympiads (RBOs), followed by one National Biology Olympiad (NBO) and a BioCamp each year to select top students. These rounds of selection are usually held at the top universities/institutes of the country. There are three categories. Registration fees is BDT 200 (about $2.5) per student to participate in RBO, BDT 1000 (about $12.5) in NBO and BDT 5000 (about $62.5) in BioCamp. We hope to waive the fees in future when we will have a dedicated sponsor.

About 10,000.

According to IBO guidelines, skills in seven major areas of biology are evaluated throughout the selection process – cell biology and biochemistry, plant anatomy and physiology, animal anatomy and physiology, genetics and evolution, ecology, ethology and biosystematics. True-false type multiple response MCQ is usually the modality of assessment at regional screening and the first session of the national round. Each test item has a stem and four options, each of which is either true or false. Usually thirty such items are to be answered by the students in an exam at regional and national level and two sets of fifty items each at international level. For each item, five points are awarded if the response to its all four options are correct, while getting three, two or just one options right per item is reciprocated with three, one and zero points, respectively. No point is deducted if an option is not attempted or the response is wrong. In the second session of the national round, the mode of assessment is short answer questions (SAQ). In BioCamp, mostly objective structured practical examination (OSPE) is used to evaluate performance of the students at practical tasks. At regional level, science textbooks of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) is mostly followed for question paper preparation while at national level and in BioCamp, more advanced books and materials are consulted. The entire process of selection takes place during October – February.

About 20 best students selected through NBO will get a 4 days training camp called ‘National BioCamp’. It is a 3-4 day residential training workshop on practical and laboratory skills in biological sciences which usually takes place at the National Institute of Biotechnology.

We have prepared some preliminary study materials for NBO and BioCamp but the work is still at its beginning. Bangladesh Biology Olympiad publishes books on biology, both popular and academic, especially in Bengali, in cooperation with publishers like Lab Bangla. However, we recommend that students read former IBO papers, high-school textbooks, and university textbooks such as Campbell Biology.

Primarily selected students at RBOs and NBO get certificate, medal and books as prizes. The highest scorer gets a special crest called ‘Champion of the Champions’. No specific access to University is linked to NBO yet.

Students from anywhere within the country who fulfill the criteria according to IBO guidelines can register online during the registration window.

January to December

minimum 0, maximum 6

About 36-40 hours

We collaborate with the other Olympiads (Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Informatics) to inform the high schools about the Olympiads. A letter is sent out to the head of each high school. Our volunteers (called ‘enzymes’), mostly undergrad students, run the campaign by visiting schools. There are biological science outreach programs, like BioTalk, which is held as seminars in different educational institutes throughout the country all the year round. We also inform about bdbo through social media and emails. We also collaborate with national daily newspapers, both online and print, as well as TV channels, as our media partners to publish and broadcast news on bdbo activities. Information is also available on our website. A phone number acts as ‘hotline’ for anyone to call and know about bdbo.

• 2020: 9980 students from 1020 schools (4.1% of eligible schools)
• 2019: 6407 students from 808 schools (3.2% of eligible schools)
• 2017: 7096 students from 229 schools (0.9% of eligible schools)
• 2016: 11231 students from 60 schools (0.2% of eligible schools)
• 2015: 567 students from 40 schools (0.2% of eligible schools)

We get media coverage from newspapers (both print and online), TV channels and social media.