SSC pass rate hits five-year low at 75.50% in Chattogram

The pass rate in SSC examinations has plunged to the lowest for five years at 75.50 percent this year, marking a 8.49 percent drop from the previous year.

In the last year, the pass rate was 83.99 percent, 90.45 percent in 2016, 82.77 percent in 2015 and 91.40 percent in 2014.

Md Tawarik Alam, acting examinations controller of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary, Chattogram, announced the results on Sunday morning.

He identified four reasons behind the drop.

“It is my personal observation that rumours of question paper leaks hampered the students.

“Then, students fared poorly in mathematics and humanities. Another reason is that three hill districts this time could not do better and there was a lack of quality teachers in remote areas of hills.

“All these had a cumulative effect on the results,” he told reporters.

The number of students who aced the tests with a GPA-5 has also declined this year to 8,094 from 8,344 the year before.

Also, the figure of students getting expelled for cheating rose to 75, the highest in the last five years.

According to the board’s data, there were fewer educational institutions with 100 percent pass rates - 27 this year - than  last year’s 56 .

At least 1,35,148 students sat the secondary school-leaving tests this year from 1,023 schools.