Masum Billah
The results of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations of 2025 under all 11 education boards got published on 10 July barely two months after the completion of the exam which shows around 68.45 percent of students passed marking a 14.59 percentage point drop from last year's pass rate. The number of students to achieve GPA-5 this year is 139,032, down significantly from last year's total of 182, 129.Girls outperformed boys in both pass percentage and GPA-5 achievement like the previous several years as girls give more attention to their studies than boys who spend much of their time on social media and hanging around weekends and different places to kill much of their valuable time. 65.88 percent of male students passed SSC and equivalent exams this year, while 71.03 percent of girls got passing grades. The number of girls with GPA-5 is 73,616 this year, compared to 65,416 boys who achieved the highest grade.
The pass percentage for students who sat for the Dakhil exam under the Madrasa Education Board this year is 68.09, with 9,066 getting GPA-5. Among students under the Technical Education Board, who sat for SSC (Vocational) and Dakhil (Vocational) exams, 73.63 percent obtained pass marks. All students of 984 out of total 30,088 secondary schools across the country have passed this year's Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations. 134 schools record zero pass rate’ The number of such successful secondary schools was 2,968 last year. Meanwhile, 134 schools have registered a zero percent pass rate this year, compared to 51 last year. All these figures would have seriously fattened and total pass percent would reach 99 percent or more if the previous government had been in power seriously killing the significance of formal assessment. Students who know about the information and messages of different subjects, who knew half and a meagre percentage and who did not know anything ---all would have passed in the SSC and its equivalent examination and that was the aim of the previous government. A lion’s share of the students did not come to the class, didn’t study their subjects sit for any internal examination. However, no legal action could not have been taken against this big group because of their parents’ party leniency and connection. It definitely killed, seriously killed the desire of serious students who tried to know the subjects by working hard. No study, no exam but pass in the board exam had been the culture that developed in the country for long. All these had further been favoured by easy and easiest notes and guides, copying in the examination hall on mass and awarding fattening marks in the examination scripts whatever the scripts contained.
Now the question arises, had all these ills been absent from this year’s public examination during the period of interim government? The answer is a big ‘ NO.’ All these social malady and disease cannot be cured immediately and so on mass copying in the examination took place all over the country, expulsion and huge number of absenteeism case also happened. However, no pass on mercy was declared by the education advisor which had been a tradition for long in the country to make students pass giving grace marks that is definitely undue marks. When undue marks are awarded to students, it does not mean evaluation, it means one kind of mercy that must not happen in the national evaluation system. It accommodates students’ being indiscipline and guardians’ arrogance. There must be set rules to be followed by all to discipline the social institutions I mean educational institutions and discipline in the entire society. Dhaka Education Board Chairman who is also the Coordinator of all Boards said, “We ensured a completely fair and transparent assessment process, examiners were instructed to evaluate answer scripts strictly on the basis of merit, marks were awarded according to what students wrote in their answer scripts and results were compiled and published through our automated system without any leniency or special consideration,” We salute his comments but we cannot agree with him to all the points he has mentioned as I myself talked to the head examiners who were instructed to make a particular number of scripts pass whatever the scripts contained. They told me it was impossible to make a certain percentage of students pass in each bundle as nothing was written there or some students just bit about the bush keeping far away from writing the real answers. Still they had to do it. This happens due to inter-board competition which is another type of corruption that also happened every year and this year also it did not see exception.
You see, Rajshahi Board has the highest pass rate, while Barishal the lowest.The pass rate of Rajshahi board is 77.33 per cent and Barishal board is 56.38.Though Rajshahi board took the highest pass rate position, but it was its lowest in the last six years, even GPA-5 rate too. It does not have any convincing reason. The reason is instructing the examiners and head examiners to award higher marks unduly. That could not have been controlled this year either. however, overall the education authorities could show their boldness to say such kind of words and at least the undrilled corruption in the entire examination process would have been reigned at least a little bit that they want to say the results released this year are a true reflection of the students' actual performance. Actually, this is not the real performance! However, at least the process towards perfection has started going and if it continues we may achieve some real performance and this year’s results would give message to the students, guardians and schools that students should come to the class, sit in their study table, become a little bit interested to learn what their textbooks offer and develop a little bit of their critical thinking skills that is absolutely necessary to prove their worth in any kind of evaluation.
This year's SSC and equivalent exams began on April 10 and ended on May 13 and the practical exams were held between May 15 and 22. Around 19.28 lakh students registered for the exams, over one lakh less compared to previous year. Of them, a total 14,90,142 registered under nine general education boards, while 2,94,726 under the Madrasa Education Board, and 1,43,313 under the Technical Education Board. Out of them a total of 6,00,660 students have failed in this year's exams under the nine general education boards, Madrasah and Technical Education Boards. Of the failed students, 3,24,716 are male students while 2,75,944 are female.
The Chairman of Dhaka Education Board says that, unlike in some previous years, this year’s assessment process was free from any external pressure or influence and they enjoyed complete autonomy to do it. They told the to follow marking guidelines thoroughly, and that’s exactly what they did. Basically, education boards are autonomous bodies, that has been in name only for so long years and only this year they have seen a ray of hope to utilize their power of autonomy. But I am afraid, how many days will it survive as party government is coming to make a mess in this area once again! Can we really save it from the social malady that we have experienced for quite a long time?
Writer: Former Teacher of Cadet College