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Published : 01 Jul 2026, 10:53 PM
Education Exodus: Falling Through the Cracks
Missing students: Over 724,000 candidates vanished from the higher secondary education ladder within just two years of clearing the SSC
Immediate exit: More than 180,000 successful SSC graduates never even enrolled in college, halting their education immediately
Technical stream hit hardest: The technical board suffered the worst decline, losing 54.58 percent of its cohort before final exam registration
Economic and social triggers: Experts blame severe unemployment, financial hardship, early marriages, and a loss of faith in academic value
For every student sitting down to write this year's Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations on Thursday, another story remains untold -- that of hundreds of thousands who never made it this far.
Some left school before they could enrol in college. Others enrolled but quietly disappeared before the final examination. Together, they form a troubling picture of a generation slipping through the cracks of Bangladesh's education system.
Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon says the government wants answers.
"Why are students dropping out? Who will answer that question? Surely, we have to," he said.
As this year's HSC and equivalent examinations begin, official figures suggest that more than 724,000 students who passed the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination two years ago are no longer on the path to completing higher secondary education.
A Widening Gap
A total of 1.67 million students passed the SSC and equivalent examinations in 2024.
Of them, 1.49 million enrolled in Class XI for the 2024-25 academic year, meaning 180,221 successful SSC candidates never entered higher secondary education at all.
The attrition continued after admission.
Only 947,943 regular students are appearing in this year's HSC and equivalent examinations, according to the education authorities.
That means 543,989 students who enrolled in higher secondary education never submitted examination forms and are not taking this year's tests.
The ministry says 1.271 million candidates will sit the examinations overall, although that figure includes irregular and grade-improvement candidates.
The latest statistics were presented on Wednesday by Abdul Khalek, secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, while Senior Information Officer Abdullah Shibli Sadiq provided detailed data to journalists.
The figures cover students enrolled in higher secondary colleges, Alim madrasas and HSC Vocational and BM programmes.
The dropout pattern is evident across every stream.
Among the 1.19 million students registered under the country's nine general education boards, only 794,477 completed examination registration, leaving 391,984 students -- or 33.04 percent -- outside this year's examinations.
Under the Madrasah Education Board, 139,929 students enrolled in Alim programmes, but only 78,269 registered for the examination. The remaining 61,660, or 44.07 percent, did not.
The Technical Education Board recorded the steepest decline.
Of 165,542 students enrolled in HSC Vocational, BM and related programmes, only 75,197 completed registration. That left 90,345 students -- 54.58 percent of the cohort -- absent from this year's examination.
Why Are Students Leaving?
Education experts say the numbers reflect far more than academic failure.
Prof Md Azam Khan, director of the Institute of Education and Research at Jagannath University, believes many students are being pushed out by financial hardship, declining confidence in the value of education and social pressures, including child marriage.
"A huge number of higher secondary students are ending their education. This is a warning sign for the nation," he told bdnews24.com.
Some students, he said, likely entered the labour market immediately after passing the SSC examination instead of continuing their studies. Others enrolled in college before abandoning education for work.
"Unemployment has become so severe that young people are losing confidence. Even many university graduates cannot find jobs. A student who barely passed the SSC often sees little reason to continue studying. Many simply start working, while a large number of girls become victims of child marriage."
He urged the government to launch targeted initiatives to bring these students back into education.
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka Secretary Prof SM Kamal Uddin Haider, a former controller of examinations, cautioned against assuming every missing student had permanently abandoned education.
Some may have skipped admission initially because of financial difficulties before enrolling later, he said. Others may have chosen not to submit examination forms after performing poorly in selection tests or feeling academically unprepared.
Still, he acknowledged that a significant number had probably left education altogether in search of work.
Looking for Answers
Education authorities say they are preparing a research-based investigation to understand why so many students disappear before completing higher secondary education.
Prof Haider said the education boards had already developed a framework to collect and verify data, with field-level information gathering expected to begin in August.
The findings, officials hope, will help shape future policy interventions.
The issue also drew the attention of Education Minister Milon during Wednesday's briefing.
"Give us some time. You'll see that we will properly analyse these weaknesses. Based on those findings, we will address the problem. God willing, this will not continue."
For now, as examination halls fill across the country, the empty seats left by hundreds of thousands of missing students pose perhaps the most pressing question facing Bangladesh's education system.
