The pass rate and the number of students securing GPA-5 have declined in this year’s SSC examinations under the Chattogram Education Board. Board officials and educationists believe that poor performance in Mathematics and English has caused a ‘setback’ in the overall results.
Poor Performance in Key Subjects
An analysis of the results released by the Chattogram Education Board today showed that Mathematics recorded the lowest subject-wise pass rate at 81.53 percent. English ranked second lowest, with a pass rate of 83.24 percent. However, the highest pass rate, 98.91 percent, was recorded in Bangladesh o Bishwoporichoy.
Overall Pass Rate Declines
The pass rate under the Chattogram Education Board stood at 59.48 percent this year, compared to 72.70 percent last year. A total of 9,398 students secured GPA-5 this year, against 11,843 last year. This year, 77,453 students passed, compared to 101,181 last year.
Group-wise Analysis
An analysis of the results by group showed that the poor performance of students in the Humanities group also affected the overall results. The pass rate in the Science group was 84.41 percent this year, compared to 92.57 percent last year. In the Business Studies group, the pass rate was 60.12 percent, compared to 73.54 percent last year, while the Humanities group recorded a pass rate of 38.79 percent, down from 55.02 percent last year.
Expert Opinions
Education researcher and teacher at Chattogram Govt. Teachers’ Training College Prof. Dr Shamsuddin Shishir noted, “In our country, particularly at the school level, students have fundamental weaknesses in Mathematics and English. This is part of the learning gap among students. The current situation has emerged due to learning gaps accumulated over a long period.”
Board’s Response
Chattogram Education Board Secretary Zahirul Haque Swapan said, “Poor performance in Mathematics and English has had a negative impact on the board’s overall results. We will examine why students are performing poorly in these two subjects, which are important parts of learning during their academic life.”
Regional Pass Rates
The pass rate in the Chattogram metropolitan area stood at 74 percent this year, compared to 81.03 percent last year. In Chattogram district, the pass rate was 57.13 percent, compared to 71.29 percent last year. Cox’s Bazar recorded a pass rate of 57.3 percent, against 70.76 percent last year. The pass rate in Rangamati was 41.17 percent, compared to 56.55 percent last year. Khagrachhari recorded a pass rate of 34.99 percent, down from 60.77 percent last year, while Bandarban recorded 47.88 percent, compared to 63.12 percent last year.
