Who is responsible, who will be held accountable

Yesterday, Thursday (16 October), the results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations were published simultaneously across all education boards. This year, 508,701 students have failed in the HSC and equivalent exams — 41.17 per cent of the total examinees. According to media reports, the nationwide average pass rate for the 2025 HSC and equivalent exams stands at 58.83 per cent, which is 18.95 per cent lower than last year. The pass rate in the Madrasa Education Board is 75.61 per cent, and in the Technical Education Board, it is 62.57 per cent. This year’s HSC results mark the worst performance in the past 20 years.

In contrast to last year’s roughly 150,000 GPA-5 achievers, only 69,097 students have secured GPA-5 this time. So why has the upward trend in pass rates and GPA scores seen over the last two decades suddenly reversed? A similar pattern was observed earlier in the secondary exam results. At that time, the government claimed that during the Awami League’s tenure, exam scripts were not properly evaluated and artificially inflated results were produced through grace marks for political motives. Does that mean exam scripts are being assessed properly now?

Raising such questions, educationists and researchers have said that whether it was an attempt to inflate grades in the past or a claim of fair evaluation now, the real issue is whether students are learning what they are supposed to. Therefore, merely searching for political reasons behind good or bad results will not suffice. It is necessary to examine how much actual teaching takes place in educational institutions and whether teachers genuinely conduct classes.

According to a recent World Bank survey, students who have passed HSC in Bangladesh are equivalent only to seventh-grade students by international standards. This clearly shows where our education quality stands. How prepared are our current students for the technology-based professions of the future? The fact that half a million students have failed indicates a huge waste of human potential for the nation. Even among those who have passed, half will drop out for various reasons.

After Bangladesh’s independence, the first education commission — the Kudrat-e-Khuda Education Commission — was formed in 1972. Since then, five more commissions have been formed, the last one being the Kabir Chowdhury Education Commission in 2009. Why has no education commission been formed in the past 16 years, especially when the current government, while pledging to restructure the state, has set up various reform commissions? Why has it not formed an education commission to modernise the education system in keeping with the times?

The question arises: who bears responsibility for this disaster? Who will be held accountable? The government cannot evade blame by placing it on the shoulders of students. Our overall education system has deteriorated to such an extent that nothing more is needed to destroy this nation — the education system alone is enough. The responsibility undoubtedly lies with the government. Bangladesh’s education budget remains relatively low, only 1.72 per cent of the total GDP. Teachers in this country are paid less than in any other South Asian nation. MPO-listed teachers are still protesting for higher pay and better facilities. Without increasing the education budget and improving teachers’ pay and benefits, there is no way to raise the quality of education.