The HSC results of 2024 were published on 15 October that basically don’t see any excitement and bring any satisfaction to the students particularly the serious, regular, toiling and inquisitive students as this on mass pass may bring some smile for the weaker students who usually don’t show any kind of dedication to learning. The authorities have brought some changes in publishing the results breaking the tradition where the chief executive of the state along with education minister and secretary used to take the center stage while declaring the results of public examinations every year dwarfing the principal role of the chairmen of respective education boards. Even though, the education boards are autonomous bodies, they hardly remained free to do anything going beyond the beck and call of the government. This is for the first time, the declaration of the results of any public examination sees in a different format. The so-called autonomy our education boards are supposed to enjoy evaporates when we see the chief executive of the state along with education minister and secretary remain present in announcing the results of public examination. Education boards need to work independently and all the activities must be dedicated to upholding the quality of education and continuous search and research must be the usual works of education boards without being controlled by the government and treating them just like other governmental institutions. More importantly, educationists, education researchers and thinkers must be placed in education boards through special scrutiny and search process. Mare a government college teacher or principal must not be only criteria to be the controller and chairman of education boards.
The results of the HSC examination have been developed on the basis of ‘subject-mapping’ that has given huge benefits to the weaker students and also those who don’t show any seriousness in their studies. That has seriously undermined the genuine efforts of the studious and toiling students. This subject mapping does never tell the original picture of the performance students can show in the public examination at this level. The subjects which the students studied in their SSC level have been considered to award marks in the HSC level. However, the students usually don’t show the same performance in the HSC level as they do in the SSC. Moreover, some students studied mathematics in the SSC level but in the HSC studied logic or social science or history because of group change. That clearly tells the results of SSC never reflects that of the HSC. It is overestimation or faulty way to ascertain the grades of the students. However, we had to do it in response to an abnormal situation the country experienced.
The HSC and equivalent examination began on 30 June this year that came to a standstill due to ‘anti-discrimination student movement". When the Sheikh Hasina regime witnessed its fall, the entire educational activities remained sealed till 11 August. A fresh was announced to conduct HSC examination but a group of HSC examinees entered the secretariat and showed indecent behavior to allow them pass without further examination but on the basis of the six subjects they had already sat for. Out of thirteen subjects they sat for only six subjects. The rest have been based on SSC results. The education advisor of the interim government grudgingly allowed them do it as the entire situation of education, law and order were abnormal? So, the decision to promote students through auto pass proves abnormality as well. However, no one can be held solely responsible for this incident as it was beyond everybody’s control.
The average pass rate of all education boards along with madrasa and technical education stands at 77.78 percent that was 77.64percent last year meaning no difference actually and in nine general education boards it is 75.56 percent which was 75.9 percent last year. Last year GPA-5 holders were 78 thousand 521 which has become one lac 31 thousand 376 this year. In Jashore Education Board students saw 68 percent pass in English even though in other subjects it is 90 percent. HSC BM Vocational Board sees 88.09 percent pass and Alim under Madrasa Education Board witnesses 93.40 percent pass rate. In Alim GPA-5 holders are 9 thousand 613. From 65 institutions no student has passed even though ‘subject mapping’ and easy way to pass was maintained. The GPA-5 holders has increased this year 53316 from last year though pass percentage has a slightly decreased. Do these features give us any genuine picture of students’ better performance or development in the subject knowledge or linguistic capability or overall change?
From now on we must be very strict and cannot surrender to the immature thoughts and emotions of the young students who stand far away from the practicality of the world. They will necessarily expect to get something without undergoing any hard labour. This effort will create a ‘ meritless nation’ and its adverse effect we experience at every state level organizations and bodies where sound policy and planning does not happen in most of the cases because of the dominance of unqualified people. These people want to creep upward and occupy higher level positions without showing any professionalism or toil or genuine work. They just try to go upward by any sort of illegal means by doing nasty politics. All this has become the culture of the society and auto-pass is its bi-product. Someone must come forward to stop this evil tradition.
The higher educational institutions such as Medical Colleges, Engineering Universities, Agricultural Universities and General Universities must not compromise with this situation. They must devise their admission tests genuinely so that the entire national can see the effect of bad culture of auto-pass. Someone must do it otherwise, the demeaning the quality of education will continue that we cannot afford to allow anymore.
Lead- Education and Research: Dainikshiksha.com and Dainik Amader Barta