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Published : 16 Oct 2025, 08:55 PM
English has recorded the lowest pass rate among all subjects in this year’s HSC exams under the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Chattogram.
Officials say very high failure rates in three hill districts have dragged down overall results for the board.
Parvez Sajjad Chowdhury, controller of examinations, points to several causes for the drop in both pass rate and number of GPA-5 achievers, including lack of “sufficient number of good quality” English teachers, ending of over-marking, and irregular classroom teaching.
Results published on Thursday show that while the national pass rate stood at 58.83 percent, Chattogram board recorded only 52.57 percent.
Nationwide, 69,097 students obtained GPA-5, compared with 6,097 under the Chattogram board.
Subject-wise results show only 63.76 percent passed English under Chattogram.
Parvez noted that in the hill districts -- Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Bandarban -- many appointed teachers do not remain in post for long.
According to him, most English teachers prefer to stay in large cities, leaving a “severe shortage” outside urban areas.
In Rangamati the pass rate is 41.24 percent, Khagrachhari 35.53 percent, Bandarban 36.38 percent.
Among them, 39 in Rangamati, 25 in Khagrachhari, 93 in Bandarban secured GPA-5.
By contrast, in 2024 pass rates were much higher: Rangamati 60.32 percent, Khagrachhari 59.63 percent, Bandarban 59.90 percent.
The exam controller said, “In Rangamati, Khagrachhari, and Bandarban, apart from local teachers, many are posted from outside. Those recruited through the NTRC often get transferred elsewhere after a short time, which creates a major crisis.
“Due to the shortage of teachers, regular classes are not held, and students are gradually losing interest in education.”
He also mentioned several other challenges in the hill districts: “We’ve seen that many colleges lack classrooms and basic infrastructure. There are no separate toilets for male and female students. Improving these facilities will encourage students to return to class.
“Because of the long distances, students sometimes attend one day but miss class tests the next, preventing them from staying engaged with the curriculum.”
Parvez suggested, “Many students come from far away. If teachers record their classes and upload them online, students who cannot attend physically can still join from home.”
To address these issues, he recommended immediate recruitment of teachers, introduction of scholarships for students, special training programmes to improve teaching quality, and awareness campaigns among parents in the hill districts.
‘NO OVER-MARKING’
Chattogram board’s overall performance also declined sharply. In 2024, the pass rate was 70.32 percent, with 10,269 students achieving GPA-5.
This year, the pass rate fell to 52.57 percent, with 6,097 students earning GPA-5.
Asked about the drop, Parvez said: “This time, merit has been properly evaluated. There was no over-marking. Each student received marks strictly according to their performance. In the past, over-marking used to happen.”
A total of 102,970 students took the exams under the board, with 53,560 passing.
The pass rate among male students was 48.95 percent, while females performed better at 55.49 percent. Among the GPA-5 achievers, 2,662 were male and 3,435 female.
In Chattogram city, the pass rate was 70.90 percent, compared with 43.63 percent in districts outside the city.
By streams, science achieved the highest pass rate at 78.75 percent, followed by business studies at 55.30 percent, and humanities at 37.08 percent.
This year, eight institutions under the board achieved a 100 percent pass rate, down from 13 last year.
