Maths, political turmoil blamed for drop in rate of passing in SSC

A drop in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) passing rate and the number of students making the GPA-5 grade is being attributed to weakness in mathematics and disruptions caused by blockade and shutdowns called by the BNP.

People related to the SSC and equivalent examinations are blaming students’ weakness in mathematics along with the blockade and shutdowns by BNP for the outcome.

The passing rate in the SSC exams had seen a steady increase over six consecutive years until last year.

This year, the rate is 87.04 percent, a drop of 4.3 percentage points from last year’s.

The number of students securing GPA-5 fell by 30,375.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid handed the results of SSC and equivalent examinations over to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on Saturday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and top officials of the education boards blamed the shutdowns and blockade enforced by the BNP and its allies during the tests for the drop in numbers.

However, many of those associated with the SSC and equivalent exams feel weakness in mathematics was also a contributing factor.

The pass rate in mathematics alone fell 7.73 percentage points this year.

Creative questions were introduced in this year’s mathematics and higher mathematics papers.

The rate increased 0.16 percentage points in physics and 0.98 percentage points in chemistry.

In health studies, which also saw creative questions for the first time, the rate of passing is 99.42 percent.

Inter-board coordination sub-committee’s exam controller Srikanta Kumar Chanda blamed political turmoil but also admitted the poor showing in mathematics.

Dr Khastagir Government Girls’ School Headmaster Hasmat Jahan told bdnews24.com that the students who took this year’s SSC tests studied creative questions in mathematics in Grades nine and 10 only.

“As a result, they could not master the subject. Besides, rural areas lack good mathematics teachers,” he said.

Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) Executive Director Rasheda K Chowdhury held a similar view.

She also doubted how well teachers and student had grasped subjects with creative questions. She wondered if the teachers had been adequately trained in the new system.

Former education affairs adviser to a caretaker government Hossain Zillur Rahman said the drop in pass rate in this subject was something to be ‘worried’ about.

He suggested the teachers themselves should be checked for possible weakness.

“Not only have the rate of passing, but the quality of education too have to be raised,” he felt.