HSC pass rate hits 22-yr low at 52.12pc

The country's Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examination results have plunged to their lowest level in 22 years, with just over half of the candidates passing this year, as the number of institutions recording zero passes rose sharply.

The overall pass rate dropped to 52.12 per cent, down 6.71 percentage points from last year's 58.83 per cent. A total of 293 institutions failed to produce a single successful candidate, compared with 202 last year, while only 139 institutions achieved a 100 per cent pass rate.

*    Results undesirable: Education Minister
*    GPA-5 achievers decline to 40,084 from 69,097
*    293 instts record zero passes, up from 202 last year
*    Dhaka tops with 61.80pc pass rate, Barishal trails at 44.84pc
*    Girls outshine in pass rates, but boys secure more GPA-5 grades
*    Re-scrutiny applications open from Nov 1 to 7

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon announced the results at the Secretariat on Saturday.
Of the 1,240,798 students who appeared in the examinations under 11 education boards, 646,685 passed. The number of students securing GPA-5 also fell significantly to 40,084 from 69,097 in 2025. 

The sharp decline has raised concerns over teaching quality, students' learning gaps and the overall education environment, prompting the government to examine possible weaknesses in teaching and examination assessment.

Education Minister Milon described the performance as undesirable, acknowledging shortcomings in teaching methods, parental involvement and the learning environment. He called on teachers and guardians to play more effective roles in improving students' academic performance.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister's Education Adviser Mahdi Amin said the government was considering holding re-examinations within a month, if possible, for students who failed in one or two subjects. However, no final decision or schedule has been announced.

Among the nine general education boards, Dhaka recorded the highest pass rate at 61.80 per cent, with 183,930 of its 297,621 candidates passing. Barishal had the lowest rate at 44.84 per cent, as 25,970 of 57,912 candidates passed.

Jashore and Rajshahi recorded pass rates of 44.92 and 45.06 per cent respectively, followed by Dinajpur at 45.98 per cent, Cumilla at 48.04 per cent, Sylhet at 50.90 per cent, Mymensingh at 51.44 per cent and Chattogram at 52.07 per cent.

Dhaka also topped the boards in GPA-5 achievements, with 16,714 students securing the highest grade. Rajshahi recorded 4,520, while Barishal had the lowest number at 950.

The combined pass rate under the nine general education boards was 51.62 per cent. The Madrasah Education Board recorded a pass rate of 61.07 per cent, while the Technical Education Board posted 49.43 per cent. GPA-5 achievers numbered 3,250 under the Madrasah Board and 886 under the Technical Board.

Performance also varied widely across academic groups. In science, Dhaka recorded the highest pass rate at 81.87 per cent, followed by Mymensingh at 75.56 per cent and Chattogram at 74.42 per cent. Barishal had the lowest rate at 56.78 per cent.

In humanities, Rajshahi recorded the lowest pass rate at 36.96 per cent, followed by Jashore at 38.21 per cent and Chattogram at 38.36 per cent. Dhaka topped the group with 48.22 per cent. In business studies, Dhaka led with 60.06 per cent, while Rajshahi recorded the lowest rate at 35.63 per cent.

Science students accounted for the overwhelming majority of GPA-5 achievers, with 26,702 securing the highest grade, compared with 5,978 in humanities and 3,268 in business studies.

Female candidates performed better than males in terms of the overall pass rate. Girls recorded a pass rate of 56.31 per cent against 47.75 per cent for boys. Of 633,149 female candidates, 356,528 passed, while 290,157 of 607,649 male candidates were successful.

However, boys secured more GPA-5 grades, with 20,363 achieving the highest result compared with 19,721 girls. Last year, girls led in both pass rates and top grades, recording a pass rate of 62.97 per cent against 54.60 per cent for boys.

Mahdi Amin said the government had ensured impartial evaluation of answer scripts and introduced full scrutiny to ensure grades reflected students' actual performance.

The education minister said the government was also examining possible shortcomings in the evaluation process. Referring to the recent SSC re-scrutiny, he said nearly 1.3 million answer scripts had been reviewed, resulting in changes to the results of 45,000 candidates. Around 5,000 students moved from failing to passing grades, while 3,079 secured GPA-5.

He said the ministry would investigate the reasons behind the changes and examine whether similar discrepancies had occurred in the HSC results. Officials, however, said it was too early to determine whether errors had affected this year's results.

The pass rate at overseas examination centres stood at 90.87 per cent, considerably higher than the national average. Detailed figures on candidates and successful students at those centres were not immediately available.

Students can apply for re-scrutiny of their answer scripts from November 1 to 7 through the designated online portal. 

The fee is Tk 150 per paper. Candidates taking subjects with two papers must apply for both. Payments can be made through bKash, Nagad, Rocket, Upay and Sonali Seba.

The sharp fall in results, widening differences among education boards and academic groups, and the growing number of zero-pass institutions have renewed questions about teaching quality, institutional facilities, learning gaps and examination assessment.