Barishal worst in HSC results as pass rate plunges

BARISHAL, Oct 31: Barishal Education Board has recorded the lowest pass rate among the nine general education boards in this year’s HSC examinations. The board’s pass rate stood at 44.84 per cent. In those cases, more than 55 of every 100 examinees failed. 

The pass rate is down by 17.73 per cent from last year. At the same time, the number of GPA-5 scorers has fallen by over 43 per cent. Eleven institutions under the board saw 100 per cent failure.

Professor Sharif Morshed Reza, Controller of Examinations of the board, announced the results at 11 am on Saturday. According to the board, 57,912 examinees from 350 colleges in six districts sat for the exams. Of them, 25,970 passed and 31,942 failed. A total of 60,436 students had registered for the exams. Some 2,524 of them stayed absent. Of the examinees, 26,755 were male and 31,157 female.

The board’s pass rate was 62.57 per cent in 2025. It has now dropped to 44.84 per cent. Last year, near about 63 of every 100 examinees passed. This year, fewer than 45 did. A total of 1,674 students secured GPA-5 last year. This year, the number is 950. It is down by 724. The GPA-5 scorers make up just 1.64 per cent of all examinees.

Discontent over the exams and question papers had surfaced even before the results. A group of examinees blocked the road in front of the board office at Nathullabad in Barishal city on July 14. 

The protesters alleged that the question papers of Physics 1st Paper and Accounting 1st Paper contained multiple errors. 

They demanded retakes of the two exams. Alternatively, they wanted all examinees to be passed with grace marks. Their six-point demands also included prompt retakes for students who were absent for valid reasons. They also called for supplementary exams for failed examinees within two months of the results.

The protesters further demanded that the education minister publicly answer for how students were treated during the exams. If not satisfied, they said, Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon should resign.

Speaking at the results announcement, Prof Sharif Morshed Reza said the results had been published after proper review and assessment. He said they reflected the real merit of the students. The board, however, offered no explanation about the students’ allegations over the question papers.