Not a single candidate passed this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations at 293 educational institutions across the country, district reports compiled after Saturday’s results have revealed.
TIMES correspondents counted 49 such institutions under the Dinajpur board, 39 under Rajshahi, 16 under Jashore, 15 under Cumilla, 11 under Barishal and three under Sylhet. More than half of all candidates failed under five of these boards: Barishal recorded the lowest pass rate at 44.84 per cent, followed by Jashore at 44.92 per cent, Rajshahi at 45.06 per cent, Dinajpur at 45.98 per cent and Cumilla at 48.04 per cent. Only Sylhet crossed the halfway mark, at 50.90 per cent.
Behind these stark statistics lie colleges where entire batches of examinees failed, in some cases for a second consecutive year. In Kurigram, all 70 students from nine institutions failed. Among them was Char Shaulmari Adarsha Women’s College in Roumari, where all 24 candidates failed, as did all 15 last year. Local reports point to teacher shortages, irregular classes, poor attendance and managerial failings, though the principal could not be reached for comment.
A similar pattern emerged in Thakurgaon, where nine colleges returned zero passes among 38 candidates. District Education Officer Shahin Akhtar said these institutions operated outside the government’s Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme and existed largely on paper. A report will be sent to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, while Deputy Commissioner Rafiqul Haque has promised a review.
Gaibandha told the same story: Fakirhat Women’s College, where both candidates failed, has now gone three consecutive years without a pass. Principal Mahbubar Rahman said the college remained outside the MPO scheme and that many teachers had stopped attending because they were unpaid.
In Satkhira, all 49 candidates from AK Fazlul Haque MCA College failed, as did all three from Islamia Women’s College. In Narail, all 43 candidates from Makrail Karim Khalek Solaiman Institute fell short. They were among the 16 institutions with zero passes under the Jashore board, whose secretary, Abdul Matin, attributed the disappointing results partly to poor performance in English, in which just 54.95 per cent passed, against 87.73 per cent in Bangla and 57.84 per cent in information and communication technology.
Citing a shortage of English teachers, he said training and seminars were planned, adding that zero-pass institutions would receive show-cause notices and could face non-renewal of their affiliation.
Under the Cumilla board, five of the 15 zero-pass institutions were in Lakshmipur, where all 19 examinees failed. Kamal Uddin Bahar, headteacher of Torabganj High School and College, said the institution had operated without permanent teachers since its establishment and relied on guest teachers, while blaming students’ lack of attention to their studies. In neighbouring Feni, all seven candidates from Beacon Model College and all three from Begum Shamsunnahar Girls’ School and College failed; three other institutions under the board had just one examinee each, and none passed.
Yet the malaise extends well beyond the zero-pass colleges. At Narail Government Women’s College, only 159 of 412 candidates passed, while at Madra High School and College in Madaripur, a mere two of 13 succeeded. Student Sadia Akter alleged that ICT classes were not held properly, and teachers complained of delayed salaries and the haphazard allocation of teaching duties. District Education Officer Kamal Hossain said the institution’s performance would be examined.
The decline is sharpest in Barishal, where the pass rate plunged from 62.57 per cent last year to 44.84 per cent. Rajshahi’s rate fell from 59.40 per cent to 45.06 per cent, and Dinajpur’s from 57.49 per cent to 45.98 per cent.
Board officials offered differing explanations: Rajshahi’s examination controller, Iffat Zerin, insisted students received marks strictly on what they wrote, while officials in Lakshmipur said zero-pass institutions would face scrutiny.
