Prolonged campus instability, psychological trauma following the 2024 uprising, economic hardship and growing disillusionment with education have combined to trigger a historic fall in HSC candidates, with the number of students sitting this year’s examinations declining by 1.8 lakh from the 2024 batch.
Data from the Ministry of Education shows a sharp gender divide behind the decline, with male candidates accounting for nearly three-fourths of the drop. Over the past two years, the number of male examinees has fallen by 1,28,312, compared with a decrease of 51,895 among female candidates.
Alarmingly, 36 per cent of students who passed their Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations two years ago failed to register for the HSC, marking the highest post-secondary dropout rate recorded in the country’s history.
The decline, which began in 2024, has yet to prompt any formal investigation by the Education Ministry into what educationists describe as a sudden reversal of a century-long expansion in educational participation.
In June 2024, a total of 14,50,790 candidates started their HSC examinations before nationwide political unrest erupted in July, eventually leading to the fall of the government on 5 August. The remaining examinations were cancelled due to the disruption, and results were later published based on candidates’ previous academic performances.
The political upheaval was followed by months of instability across educational institutions, further weakening students’ academic engagement.
With the cost of living soaring, low-income families are also losing interest in funding higher education.
Professor Mohammad Mojibur Rahman of the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University told TIMES of Bangladesh that the state has failed to provide psychological rehabilitation for a generation of young people affected by the unrest, warning of serious long-term consequences unless a stable academic environment is restored.
Md Abul Kalam Azad, examination controller at the Technical Education Board, said the decline may not entirely represent permanent dropouts, as some students could have entered the workforce, changed educational streams or failed to prepare for the examinations. However, he acknowledged that the scale of the fall in candidates is unprecedented.
What happened after 2024 uprising
Students sitting the 2026 HSC examinations belong to the batch that entered primary school in 2014.
According to official statistics, of the 41.7 lakh children who studied in Class I twelve years ago, more than 10 lakh dropped out by Class V in 2018.
By 2024, only 20.2 lakh from this batch sat the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams, with 16.7 lakh passing.
Now, just 9,50,000 candidates, excluding irregular ones, are sitting the 2026 HSC exams, meaning nearly 70 per cent of the original batch has dropped out of the education system.
This marks a stark escalation in historical dropout rates following the mass uprising.
For comparison, the cumulative dropout rate up to the higher secondary level stood at 61.60 per cent in 2024, before rising to 67.70 per cent in 2025.
Educationists note that while the 2020 coronavirus pandemic disrupted learning and caused a brief spike in dropouts in 2022, the trend was brought under control by 2023. However, recent socio-political instability has shattered that recovery, pushing the 2026 dropout rate to an unprecedented high.
Is financial strain driving the drop?
With the cost of living soaring, low-income families are losing interest in funding higher education. Even when higher studies are attainable, many parents now feel compelled to send their children into the workforce prematurely.
A Unicef research report published this June confirms that poverty accounts for up to 64 per cent of student dropouts. This aligns with data undermining Bangladesh’s recent progress in poverty alleviation.
According to the World Bank, the poverty rate rose from 18.7 per cent in 2022 to 21.4 per cent in 2025. Similarly, a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) report from last January revealed that extreme poverty surged from 5.6 per cent to 9.35 per cent over the same period.
Compounding these struggles, over 500 garment factories have closed since the 2024 uprising.
Business leaders report that the sector has yet to recover from the damage, while persistent inflation continues to outpace wage growth, disproportionately impacting lower-income households.
Mostafizur Rahaman, deputy director of the Campaign for Popular Education, told TIMES that the economic crisis is driving children into work to support their families.
He added that a lack of social security is prompting parents to marry off daughters early, noting UNFPA data showing that 51 per cent of girls marry before age 18.
Furthermore, Mostafizur highlighted a Dhaka Education Board study revealing a growing disillusionment with schooling, particularly among boys.
“A segment of students simply lose interest in education and everything else, wandering aimlessly,” he warned, noting that this growing trend has become deeply concerning over the last few years.
Influence of mob in educational institutions
Following the July uprising, the emergence of campus mobs has profoundly destabilised educational institutions.
Speaking anonymously to TIMES, the principal of a government college in Dhaka highlighted a stark behavioural shift among students.
“Despite numerous requests, they could not be persuaded to return to their classrooms. Meanwhile, teachers lived in constant fear of harassment, wishing only to complete their routine duties and leave campus safely,” he said.
Educationist Mohammad Mojibur Rahman believes this hostility stems from a deeper crisis of authority, partly rooted in past political compromises.
He explained that because many teachers served as polling officers during the controversial elections under the previous Awami League regime, students have fundamentally questioned their moral authority.
Furthermore, a segment of the youth who participated in the street movement became entangled in campus politics and alternative activities instead of resuming their studies.
This chaotic environment has been compounded by a total absence of psychological support for the traumatised students.
Md Azharul Islam, chair of the Educational and Counseling Psychology Department at Dhaka University, revealed that a survey of 250 adults showed the July uprising left deep, complex psychological scars across all generations.
However, he stressed that individual therapy alone cannot resolve this systemic psychological unrest.
“Overcoming this chaotic state requires a major social and national reconciliation,” Azharul told TIMES.
He warned that deep-seated social divisions and a lack of mutual understanding are actively spilling over to infect student life. To rectify this, Azharul argued, the state must proactively foster a socio-psychological framework that promotes tolerance and harmony, teaching the younger generation how to coexist peacefully despite differing personal or political views.
