Despite a slight improvement in 2024 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams, the Jashore Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board continues to experience a steady decline in results. Reviewing the results of the last three years shows it is true.
The board, however, brought the same issues for poor performance this year as it was in previous years.
The board authority claim of students’ poor performance in English alone has had a significant impact on the overall result. The board authority on both English and Higher Mathematics attributed the result as poor last year.
However, this board ranked the highest in the country in the 2021 HSC results.
According to the office, the board's Controller of exams results, published on Tuesday (October 15), revealed that 122,511 students took part in the 2024 HSC exam under the board and 78,764 passed. Of those who passed, 36,247 were boys and 42,517 were girls, with a pass rate of 64.29%. A total of 9,749 students achieved a GPA-5.
Besides, data from the board shows the pass rate for the 2023 HSC exam was 69.88%, with 8,122 students achieving GPA-5.
In 2022, the pass rate was 83.95%, with 18,703 students receiving GPA-5. Compared to that year, the pass rate in the following year decreased by 14.07%, and the number of GPA-5 recipients fell by 10,581.
However, in the 2021 HSC exam, 128,163 students from the board participated and 125,741 passed. Among them, 64,106 were boys, and 61,635 were girls. The pass rate was 98.11%. A total of 20,878 students achieved GPA-5, making Jashore board the top-performing in the country in 2021.
Meanwhile, the board authorities have attributed this year's poor exam results to students' underperformance in English. Last year, the board claimed that students performed poorly in both English and Mathematics.
According to the board, the failure rate in English was increased, contributing to the overall result failure. This year, 31% of students under the board got failed in English, which led to the poor results.
However, 13 educational institutions under the board achieved a 100% pass rate in this year's HSC exam; at the same time, no students passed from seven institutions.
The controller of examinations of the board, Dr. Biswas Shaheen Ahmed, admitted the fact that the result was poorer than other boards this year considering its previous performance.
“The 31% failure rate in English has significantly impacted the overall results, he claimed.
When contacted, the board's chairman, Professor Marjina Akter, observed and explained that this year's HSC candidates were in grades 9 and 10 during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
“They had huge deficiencies as they couldn't attend classes during that period; their weakness in English persisted, and it hasn't been fully overcome yet,” She said, adding that Issues like remote learning challenges due to the pandemic or socioeconomic factors affecting students’ learning environments could also play a role.
She assured that the board will take necessary measures to improve its results in the next years.