No HSC examinees in 8 colleges of Cumilla Board

Eight colleges under the Cumilla Education Board will have no students appearing in the 2026 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations, raising fresh concerns over the quality, sustainability and management of some higher secondary institutions in the region.

According to board officials, four of the colleges failed to register any students for the examination, while the remaining four registered a total of 35 students who ultimately could not qualify for the final exams.

The institutions with no HSC candidates this year are Feni’s Noble College, Cumilla’s Begum Zahura Mohila College, Shaitshala Adarsha High School and College, CCN Model College, Brahmanbaria’s Satgaon Adarsha High School and College, Krishnanagar Abdul Jabbar School and College, Titas Model College and Ulukandi College.

A total of 94,802 students from 464 institutions across Cumilla, Noakhali, Feni, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur and Lakshmipur districts are set to sit for this year’s HSC examinations under the board. Of them, 57,196 are female students and 37,606 are male students, leaving female candidates outnumbering males by 19,590.

Cumilla Education Board Deputy Controller of Examinations (Higher Secondary) Md Salahuddin described the absence of candidates from eight colleges as a significant issue, saying the board would investigate the reasons behind the situation.

He noted that the recognition of 13 colleges with pass rates ranging from zero to five percent was cancelled last year due to poor academic performance.

Shibu Chandra Sarkar, principal of Shaitshala Adarsha High School and College, said this is the first time since the college section was introduced in 2012 that no student will sit for the HSC examination. He attributed the situation to a shortage of students, financial constraints and a lack of teachers.

Former Cumilla Education Board chairman Professor Jamal Naser said many schools had been upgraded to colleges without adequate preparation or institutional capacity, leading to declining academic standards, falling enrolment and financial instability.

Board Examination Controller Dr Md Shafiqul Islam said the institutions concerned would be reviewed, adding that measures ranging from quality improvement initiatives to administrative action could be considered if necessary.