The pass rate in this year’s Junior School Certificate (JSC) and Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) examinations has witnessed a slight rise, but went downwards for Primary Education Completion (PEC) and equivalent tests.
According to the terminal exam results published on Tuesday, the pass rate for JSC and JDC stood at 87.90%, which is 2.07% higher than last year’s 85.83%.
A total of 2,287,271 out of 2,602,053 students passed the JSC and JDC tests under nine general education boards and one madrasa education board.
This year the number of GPA 5 holding eighth graders is 78,429. Last year, 68,095 students had secured GPA 5.
Also, a total of 5,243 schools and madrasas under the 10 boards achieved 100% pass rate. The number was 4769 last year.
The results of this year’s Primary Education Completion (PEC) and its equivalent Ebtedayee terminal exams were also published on Tuesday, showing a 95.50% pass rate — a 2.09% drop from last year’s 97.59%.
A total of 2,372,154 students passed the PEC and Ebtedayee tests this year. Among the fifth graders, 326,088 obtained GPA 5 — a massive jump from last year’s 68,095.
The results of the primary and high school-level public exams were formally handed over to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday morning.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni handed over the JSC and JDC results, while State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Zakir Hossen handed over the PEC and Ebtedayee results at a ceremony at the prime minister’s official residence, Ganabhaban, in Dhaka.
Speaking on the occasion, Hasina said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman wanted to build a poverty free nation, and added: “An educated nation is necessary to build a poverty free country. No nation can be reached in dignified position without education.”
Saying the JSC, JDC, PEC and Ebtedayee tests have removed the children's exam phobia, the prime minister congratulated the students who successfully passed this year’s exams.
Later, the concerned ministers unveiled the results at separate press conferences in their ministries.
Girls outshine boys
This year, female students showed better results — in both pass rate and scoring GPA 5 — in the JSC, JDC, PEC and Ebtedayee exams.
Their participation and success rates and grades achieved were well ahead of the boys, showed the results.
The girls’ pass rate in JSC and JDC exams was 88.64% with 1,246,529 students, while 1,040,742 boys secured an 87.03% pass rate.
A total of 45,883 girls scored GPA 5, while the number is 32,546 in case of boys.
On the other hand, total 1,271,589 girls cleared the PEC tests with a 95.61% pass rate, while 1,072,154 boys secured 95.37%.
Also, 6,192 girls cleared the Ebtedayee tests with a 96.44% pass rate and 5,685 boys with 95.50%.
A total of 190,829 girls secured GPA 5 against 147,136 boys in the PEC and Ebtedayee exams.
Barisal best education board
Barisal Education Board performed the best for second consecutive year in the JSC and JDC exams results with a pass rate of 97.05%, followed by 94.10% pass rate of Rajshahi Education Board.
In PEC exams, Barisal also achieved the highest pass rate with 96.93%; while Rajshahi came out on top in the Ebtedayee exams with a 97.81% pass rate.
This year, the number of institutions with zero pass rate in JSC and JDC exams came down to 33, against 43 of last year.
Dhaka education board achieved an 82.72% pass rate — the lowest among 10 boards.
Also, Comilla board secured 88.80% pass rate; Rajshahi 94.10%; Jessore 91.08%; Dinajpur 83.92%; Chittagong 82.93%; Sylhet 92.79%; Mymensingh 87.21%; and the Madrasa board 89.77%.
CGPA 4 in JSC tests from 2020?
Education Minister Dipu Moni on Tuesday said they hope to introduce the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) 4 grading system in the JSC and JDC tests from 2020, and pull out from the GPA 5 system.
“We had considered about implementing this system this year, but later realized that it would have been done in an unnecessarily hurried manner. We’ll analyze the whole process and hopefully introduce it next year,” she told a press briefing at the Education Ministry on Tuesday, last day of 2019.
The decision was taken to comply with grades of international and local private universities, through which problems while getting a job or enrolment in foreign universities could be avoided, said ministry officials.
"We’re also working on following through with the prime minister’s directive to find a way to evaluate the students in the year-end exams by removing the grading system,” Dipu added.
