Education boards have termed the 2024 Higher Secondary Certificate, or HSC, and equivalent examination results as "normal," but experts have expressed concerns about this year's evaluation process.

They argue that the assessment method used fails to accurately measure students' performance, raising questions about the reliability and quality of the results.

Students and parents have also voiced discontent with the subject mapping system used to calculate this year’s results. They claim the system failed to fairly reflect students’ performance across different subjects.

The results of the 2024 HSC exams were announced by the board chairpersons from their respective offices at 11am on Tuesday.

In Dhaka, the combined results were unveiled by Prof Tapan Kumar Sarkar, president of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee.

This year, 77.78 percent of students passed the HSC and equivalent exams, with 145,911 students securing a GPA-5.

In comparison, last year’s pass rate stood at 78.64 percent, with 92,595 students achieving a GPA-5.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, last year saw the first full-scale exams, with complete marks and a full schedule.

However, this year, following the seven-subject exams, further tests could not be conducted due to student protests and subsequent political unrest.

Consequently, subject mapping, based on Secondary School Certificate, or SSC, scores, was used to evaluate the subjects for which exams could not be held.

In 2022, the HSC exams were conducted under a shortened syllabus, where 85.95 percent of students passed, and 176,282 students secured a GPA-5.

Although the pass rate has decreased this year, the number of students achieving GPA-5 has increased, albeit at a lower rate than in previous years.

Prof Mohammad Ali Jinnah, from the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University, told bdnews24.com: “According to the academic calendar, students should complete their studies, and the board and ministry should conduct exams as per the rules. Failing to follow this process this year will have negative consequences for the students."

“One reason for the lower pass rate could be that students who performed poorly in certain subjects in their SSC exams likely faced similar difficulties this time.

“However, those who performed well have seen their good results further boosted, which explains the higher number of GPA-5 achievers.”

The professor also warned that whether students performed well or poorly without covering the syllabus material, it could impact their future employment opportunities.

“For example, they will need to pass university admission exams, where they will not be admitted based on this system. Universities will assess them according to their own criteria, and students who passed HSC without learning the required material will face difficulties in admission tests.”

Educationist Abul Momen told bdnews24.com: “The results students are achieving in the current system do not truly reflect their level of education. This is because the focus has shifted from classroom learning to coaching centres.”

He added, “These exams do not truly assess merit. The system itself is questionable. Using simplified evaluation methods like subject mapping causes problems later when these students enter the job market, as they are not properly evaluated.”

Prof Mohammad Kaykobad, from the computer science and engineering department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, or BUET, echoed these concerns.

He told bdnews24.com: “Not conducting exams for all subjects may yield statistically good results, but we cannot be sure if the students have actually done well.”

“When a student scores a GPA-5, parents’ expectations rise. In our time, getting a star mark would ensure that the student would become a doctor or an engineer. Now, even with a GPA-5, it’s uncertain whether they will secure admission to a public university."

“The problem is, students aren’t learning now. This result doesn’t provide any meaningful feedback on whether a student will go on to pursue a PhD or something else.”

Prof Kaykobad advised that to ensure proper progress, students should move away from rote learning and focus on skill-based education.

“Memorisation doesn’t last long—students forget after a month or two. But if they develop skills, those will be useful in the future. The lack of exams this year was not right. If there had been exams, students would have at least learned something.”

Among the nine general education boards, Sylhet achieved the highest pass rate this year, with 85.39 percent of students passing the HSC exams.

Sylhet also saw a significant jump in the number of GPA-5 achievers, with 6,698 students securing the highest grade, up from just 1,699 last year.

Prof Arun Chandra Pal, Sylhet Board's controller of examinations, attributed the board’s good performance to students’ strong showing in Information and Communication Technology, or ICT.

Due to flooding, exams for Sylhet Board students began later than those for other boards.

Subsequently, the exams were repeatedly postponed amid the quota reform movement and the political turmoil following the fall of the government.

Eventually, at the students’ demand, the remaining exams were cancelled, and only three exams for science, humanities, and business studies were held.

Prof Arun told bdnews24.com: “The pass rate is high because of students' strong performance in ICT. Many students in humanities passed ICT, which raised the overall pass rate. Normally, humanities students don’t perform as well in this subject.”

However, Mymensingh Board has recorded the lowest pass rate, with only 63.22 percent of students passing.

Prof Shamsul Islam, the board’s controller of examinations, attributed the low pass rate to poor performance in ICT and English.

“Our ICT questions were comparatively more difficult than other boards, which caused dissatisfaction among the students. The pass percentage in English was also lower,” he told bdnews24.com.

Prof Shamsul also said steps would be taken to improve performance in these subjects, with discussions planned with teachers.

“We will sit down with the English and ICT teachers, listen to their opinions, and take steps to ensure better results in the future.”

Meanwhile, the number of GPA-5 achievers in Barishal Board has increased this year, with 4,167 students securing the grade, up from 3,993 in 2023.

The board’s pass rate stands at 81.85 percent this year.

Barishal Board's controller of examinations Prof Arun Kumar Gain told bdnews24.com: “The results are good. The students studied hard, and the teachers taught well. The few exams that weren’t held were evaluated based on SSC results, which might have contributed to the good outcome.”

Prof Tapan, chairman of the Dhaka Education Board, told bdnews24.com that this year’s HSC results are ‘normal’ and that the cancellation of exams did not impact the pass rate.

“The pass or fail outcome depends on English and ICT exams, which were held. That’s why the pass rate is similar to last year."

Explaining the rise in GPA-5 achievers, he said many students who studied science in SSC shifted to humanities or business studies in HSC, leading to better results in subject mapping.

“Their results were good in SSC, which boosted the number of GPA-5 achievers this year. The pass rate in HSC generally remains between 75 per cent and 80 per cent.”

FIVE YEARS OF DISRUPTED HSC EXAMS: HOW TO REFORM?

The HSC exams have not followed the regular process for the past five years.

Experts believe a system needs to be established, independent of political and other disruptions, so that education can continue smoothly in all circumstances.

In 2020, the HSC exams were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the results were based on Junior School Certificate, or JSC, and SSC exam scores.

The following year, exams were delayed and conducted with a shortened syllabus due to the pandemic.

In 2022, the exams were again delayed, this time due to both the pandemic and floods. That year also saw exams held with a shortened syllabus. Only in 2023, post-pandemic, were full exams with complete marks and schedules conducted.

However, in 2024, due to student protests, exams were held for only seven subjects, and the remaining exams could not be conducted.

Prof Jinnah from Dhaka University said, "Education should be kept above politics. We must think about the long-term impact."

“For regions affected by floods or for students who fell ill, special exams could be arranged. If we design our policies without aligning with international education trends, the long-term consequences will not be beneficial."

He called for reforms to keep education running regardless of any challenges, with students following rules and regulations, and emphasised the need for demand-based and modern education.

Former Chattogram University Professor Abul Momen echoed these sentiments, saying: "The implementation of the curriculum-22 could gradually help the education system progress to a new level."

He said, “We need a system where students can prove their capabilities throughout the year. Even if the final exam cannot be held for some reason, there would be no major issue.”

STUDENTS AND PARENTS FRUSTRATED WITH RESULTS

Although the results based on subject mapping met expectations, many students and parents fear being ‘bullied’ because of the process.

Ujjal Sarkar, a science student from Narsingdi College, passed with a GPA-5.

However, he said: “Due to some students, the government cancelled the exams, and now we are hearing comments from society as well.”

“People are posting on Facebook, calling it an 'automatic pass.' Even though I got a GPA-5, it doesn’t feel valued. This wouldn’t have happened if the exams had been held,” Ujjal said.

His father Tarun Sarkar told bdnews24.com: “The result is good, no doubt about that. But, indeed, they couldn’t take the exam due to the protests. However, the situation improved later on, and they could have conducted the exams, even with a shortened syllabus. Now, people will criticise them.”

Jinia Akter, a humanities student from Mirpur’s Monipur School and College, was pleased with her GPA-5 but expressed concern about the gaps in her HSC education due to the cancelled exams.

“The joy of receiving a result after sitting for an exam is different. You can evaluate yourself better that way,” she said.

DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS

This year’s HSC and equivalent exams began on Jun 30.

However, in Sylhet Board, exams started on Jul 9 due to flooding.

Approximately 1.45 million students took the exams under 11 education boards.

On Jul 16, amid the quota reform movement and nationwide violence, the government announced an indefinite closure of all schools, colleges, polytechnic institutes, and universities. HSC exams scheduled for Jul 18 were also postponed.

As the situation worsened, the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee postponed all HSC exams until Aug 1. If conditions had normalised, the HSC exams were set to resume on Aug 4. However, those exams were postponed again. After repeated delays, the exams were rescheduled to begin on Aug 11.

However, after the fall of the government, violent incidents damaged several exam centres, and some question papers were burnt, leading the education ministry to suspend the exams once more.

Eventually, the postponed exams were rescheduled to start on Sept 11, with a new timetable.

However, students protesting against taking the exams reignited the movement.

The interim government then delayed the exams by another two weeks and decided to conduct the exams with half the number of questions. On Aug 20, over 500 students entered the Secretariat, demanding the cancellation of the remaining exams.

The government conceded to their demands that day, announcing that the remaining exams would not be held.

Courtesy: BDNEWS24.COM