SSC pass rate drops to 80.39% amid poor performance in Math, English

The pass rate and the number of GPA-5 achievers have decreased in the secondary school certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations this year as examinees mostly showed poor performance in mathematics and English. 

This year, the combined pass rate in SSC and equivalent examinations has decreased by 7.05 percentage points from the 87.44% pass rate in 2022.

Though the education ministry and education board chairmen think that the 80.39% pass rate in 2023 is compatible with the result of the pre-Covid period. However, statistics show that this is the third-lowest result in the last 10 years. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the highest 91.34% pass rate was in 2014 in a decade.   

However, a record 93.58% of students were qualified in 2021 when exams were limited to three elective subjects under a shortened syllabus and the students were mostly evaluated on the basis of their previous public exam due to the pandemic-led school shutdown.   

Here's how you can check SSC results

This year, a total of 1,83,578 or 8.99% of examinees obtained a grade point average (GPA) of 5.0, down by 86,024 from 2,69,602 last year.

"This year, a full-marks examination was conducted in all subjects on the revised short syllabus. In the previous two years, there were partial-mark exams in some subjects due to Covid. Therefore, the pass rate and GPA-5 have decreased this time. However, it is consistent with the pre-Covid results," Education Minister Dipu Moni said at a press briefing on formal publication of the results on Friday at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital.  

Earlier in the day, the education minister handed over the summary of the results to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban at 9am.

The chairmen of 11 education boards - nine general, one madrasa and one technical - also handed over the results of their respective boards to the premier.

Meanwhile, no students passed from 48 educational institutions across the country this year, whereas the number was 50 last year. 

Furthermore, the pass rate in 2,354 institutions was 100%, in contrast to the 2,975 institutions that achieved the same feat last year.

Responding to a question from journalists regarding the zero pass-rate institutions, the minister said, "It has been observed that most of the institutions with zero pass rate had only two to three examinees. Most of these institutions are non-MPOs".

Dipu Moni added that efforts have been made to cooperate with it institutionally so that the students of non-MPO institutions can improve in the future.

Girls outdid boys, in terms of pass rate and GPA-5

A total of 10,31,647 girls and 10,09,803 boys took part in the exams this year, while 8,44,736 [81.88%] girls and 7,96,404 [78.87%] boys passed.

Some 98,614 girls secured GPA-5, up by 13,650 from 84,964 boys with the same grade.

Results show that 20,41,450 examinees appeared in the SSC and equivalent examinations from 29,714 educational institutions under 11 education boards, and 16,41,140 of them came out successful. Of them, 7,96,404 are boys, and 8,44,736 are girls.

The nine general education boards saw a combined pass rate of 80.94%, while the Madrasah Education Board witnessed a 74.70% pass rate, and the Technical Education Board 86.35%.

Why does the pass rate fall?  

The poor performance of the humanities group and the Madrasah board has affected the overall result as per the analysis of the concerned authorities. 

Among the students of all groups, the fail rate is comparatively higher in Math and English. Poor pass rates have also been found in accounting, civics, and geography in Dinajpur board.  

Among the combined results, the lowest 74.70% in Madrasah Education Board has significantly affected the overall result. 

The Barishal Education Board secured the top position with a 90.18% pass rate on average, while the Sylhet board was at the bottom with a 76.06% pass rate among the nine general education boards.

Professor Kaiser Ahmed, chairman of the Madrasah Board, told TBS, "Our examinees did comparatively worse in Mathematics, Bengali and History of Islam. Compared to last year, the pass rate this year has decreased to around 3% in these three subjects, which has affected the overall result".

The pass rate of Dhaka Board is 77.55%, while it is 87.89% in Rajshahi Board, 78.42% in Cumilla Board, 86.17% in Jashore Board, 78.29% in Chattogram Board, 76.87% in Dinajpur Board, and 85.49% in Mymensingh Board.

This year's pass rate of the SSC exam in Dhaka Board is the lowest in 13 years. Board officials blamed the poor performance of students in English and Mathematics which has affected the overall results of the Dhaka board despite there are many reputed educational institutions.

Among all the boards, the lowest 80.56% of students of Dhaka Board passed in math and 90.83% in English. 

Prof Tapon Kumar Sarker, chairman of the Dhaka Education Board, told TBS that the examinees under the board performed poorly in mathematics, which has a negative impact on the overall result.

After analysing the results, the pass rate in Gopalganj, Kishoreganj, Shariatpur and Faridpur districts under the Dhaka board has been found below 65%, affecting the results of the entire board. 

In this regard, Dhaka board chairman said, "These districts have been showing poor results since earlier. We are in touch with them so that they can get good results in future."

Having said that several boards have got poor results in maths, Prof Tapon Kumar Sarker, also chairman of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee, said, "This is due to the difficulty of the question. Sometimes the questions are easy, sometimes they are difficult".

"However, the overall results are good if we compare it with the results in 2018 or 2019," he said, adding that the results were better in the last two years due to taking special tests of relatively less subjects, less marks and less duration as well.

Last year, the exams were held on nine compulsory subjects. Student performance in three other subjects – Bangladesh and World Introduction or General Knowledge, Religion and Moral Education, and Information and Communication Technology – were assessed on the basis of their Junior School Certificate exam results.

In terms of GPA-5 obtainers, the Dhaka board has kept its consistency in securing the top position in terms of obtaining GPA-5 since the grading system was introduced in 2001 in Bangladesh.

A total of 46,303 students scored GPA-5 in the Dhaka board, 26,877 in Rajshahi, 11,623 in Cumilla, 20,617 in Jashore, 11,450 in Chattogram, 6,311 in Barishal, 5,452 in Sylhet, 17,410 in Dinajpur, 13,177 in Mymensingh, 6,213 in Madrasah, and 18,145 in the Technical Education Board.

Lowest pass rate in Sylhet

Among the nine general boards, Sylhet education board has the lowest pass rate of 76.06% this year. 

Prof Md Kabir Ahmad, secretary of the Sylhet education board told TBS, "Despite having less students in science and commerce, the pass rate in these groups came out higher. But the humanities group has more students and the number of dropouts is also higher. Because of this, the aggregate result has turned low".

He also attributed the overall low pass rate this time to the examinees' poor performance in in English and Mathematics.

Professor SM Abdus Samad Azad, chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dinajpur, told TBS that the result of the humanitarian group students has become a little worse, and boys did worse than girls.

"In Rangpur region, the number of poverty-stricken people is high in the Char areas of Teesta, Brahmaputra and Atrai river basins. Moreover, there is some effect of corona pandemic. Because of these, the results here have been poor than other boards".

Students can apply for rechecking results from 29 Jul

Students can apply for rechecking the results of their SSC and equivalent exams from 29 July to 4 August, according to notification signed by Prof Md Abul Bashar, controller of examinations of Dhaka Education Board.

To apply through SMS, candidates have to type RSC, the first three letters of the board name, followed by the candidate's roll number and subject code, and send the message to 16222.

The candidate will then receive an SMS with a PIN number.

To confirm the application, the candidate will have to send another SMS, writing: RSC(space)Yes(space)Pin(space)contact number and send the SMS to 16222.

The notification said students can apply for re-scrutiny of multiple subjects through a single text message. The application fee is Tk125 per subject, it said.