HSC Results Suffer Sharpest Decline in Recent Memory; Political Turmoil and Disruptions to Education After August 5 Cited as Key Factors

❐ Staff Reporter

The biggest disaster in the results of HSC and equivalent exams in a decade and a half has occurred. This is the lowest average pass rate in the past decade and a half, at 52.12 percent. At the same time, the number of students with the highest GPA-5 has decreased at an alarming rate.

Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon officially presented the results at a press conference at the Ministry of Education at the Secretariat on Saturday, October 31 at 11 am. The results were published simultaneously in the respective educational institutions and online immediately after the inauguration. Prime Minister’s Education Advisor Mahdi Amin was also present at the event.

Former professor at the Institute of Education and Research, Dhaka University, Mohammad Ali Jinnah sees the post-2024 political instability and students’ academic isolation as one of the main reasons for the disastrous HSC exam results this year.

He also blamed the unstable environment in educational institutions and the distance between teachers and students.

He said that the instability created in educational institutions in the post-movement period has had a negative impact on students’ studies. Mob culture, distance from teachers, and students’ apathy towards studies have all influenced the results.

Ali Jinnah said that in the past, there was a tendency to increase the pass rate by not properly evaluating the exam answer sheets. However, currently, efforts are being made to publish results based on the actual qualifications of the students.

According to him, students should study, take part in exams and get results based on proper evaluation of answer sheets – this is what the examination system should be. The days of getting good results or GPA-5 just by writing something in the exam book are over. It is possible to get good results only by writing well in exams with proper preparation, this message needs to be established among the students.

Referring to the current situation as a time of transition, the educationist said that students are gradually realizing that there is no chance of achieving good results without proper education. If this understanding is developed, the exam results may once again show an upward trend in the next one to two years.

However, this educator is not blaming the poor results solely on students’ reluctance to study or changes in the assessment system.

According to him, the quality of teaching and facilities are not equal in all educational institutions in the country. In addition, the socio-economic status of students also creates disparities in their preparation.

Ali Jinnah said, ‘The quality of teaching by school teachers is not the same everywhere, nor are the facilities the same everywhere. Again, the socio-economic background of the children may not have prepared equally. These also act as factors.’

Result chart

According to the Ministry of Education, 12,70,583 students under 11 education boards took part in the exams this year. Of these, 6,46,685 passed.

Five lakh 94 thousand 293 students failed. Last year, the number of failed students was 5 lakh 8 thousand 701; that is, the number of failed students has increased by 85 thousand 592 in the span of one year. This result has been a disaster in the HSC examination for two consecutive years.

This year, 40,084 students across the country have obtained GPA-5. Last year, this number was 69,097. Accordingly, the number of students obtaining GPA-5 has decreased by 29,013 this year.

Among the general education boards, Dhaka Board is at the top (61.80%) and Barisal Board is at the bottom (44.84%).

• Dhaka Board: Pass rate 61.80%, 16,714 students got GPA-5.
• Chittagong Board: Pass rate 52.07%, 2,929 students got GPA-5.
• Mymensingh Board: Pass rate 51.44%, 2,137 students got GPA-5.
• Sylhet Board: Pass rate 50.90%, 1,204 students got GPA-5.
• Comilla Board: Pass rate 48.04%, 1,313 students got GPA-5.
• Dinajpur Board: Pass rate 45.98%, 2,953 students got GPA-5.
• Rajshahi Board: Pass rate 45.06%, 4,520 students got GPA-5.
• Jessore Board: Pass rate 44.92%, 3,228 students got GPA-5.
• Barisal Board: Pass rate 44.84%, 950 students got GPA-5.

Besides, the pass rate in the Madrasa Education Board is 61.07 percent (GPA-5: 3,250 students) and the pass rate in the Technical Education Board is 49.43 percent (GPA-5: 886 students).

Special opportunity for four lakh failed students

At a press conference, Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon admitted that the published results were not satisfactory. However, he said that whether there were any technical or evaluation errors in them would be clear after the re-examination application is resolved.

Highlighting one of the decisions of this year’s exam, the minister said that 422,905 students who failed in one or two subjects will be given the opportunity to retake the exam only in the failed subjects within the next month. As a result, they will not lose an academic year. However, in response to a question whether any relaxation will be given in the minimum eligibility conditions for admission to universities due to the overall result disaster, the education minister said that the matter is the jurisdiction of the universities’ own administrative decisions.

The 2026 HSC and equivalent examinations began on July 2. Due to natural disasters and floods, some boards, including Chittagong, took some extra time to complete the examinations. In total, students from 9,439 educational institutions in 2,697 centers participated in the examinations under 9 general education boards with a common question paper this year.