Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed concern over the declining number of examinees and pass rates for boys compared to girls in Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examination results.
She said: "We must investigate why there are fewer boys and take proactive measures to address this issue."
The prime minister made the statement at the handover ceremony of SSC results at Ganabhaban on Sunday.
How to check SSC exam resultsAt that time, Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury presented a summary of the combined results.
Highlighting the current statistics, Sheikh Hasina said: "There were a total of 2,038,150 examinees across 11 education boards. Of them, 999,364 were male students, and 1,038,786 were female students. The declining number of boys warrants investigation into its causes."
She also acknowledged the exemplary performance of girls, saying: "The pass rate indicates that girls are excelling in various subjects."
Underscoring the government's commitment to education, Sheikh Hasina said: "Education has always been a priority for our government. We view expenditures on education not as mere costs but as investments, echoing the sentiments of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib."
She said her government is bringing changes to the curriculum and the method of education mainly to cut dependency on learning through memorization to flourish talents and creativity of the students.
"We want our children not only to learn by heart rather they get scope to flourish talents and creativity as they can move ahead with their merits. So, changes are being made in the curriculum and education method," she said.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has introduced pre-primary education to teach the children through play.
"There is a way to educate the children through toys and we are creating that scope," she said.
One child can easily learn the name of seven continents through jumping one to another continent on a world map, she opined.
"We have to do such many things as the children can learn through playing. If we do so, they don't have need book-learning," she said.
In doing so, the premier said her government is giving necessary training to the teachers and increasing their salaries and other benefits.
She said her government has attached topmost priority on education as they can know that no nation can develop without education.
"Our target is to eradicate poverty. Poverty alleviation is not possible without an educated nation. So, we consider expenses in education as investment," she said.
The prime minister said her government wants to prepare an appropriate education system to cope with the competitive world.
She said her government is prioritizing science, technology, information and vocational education alongside the regular education.
"Our children will not only do BA and MA, but also will be educated in science, technology, information technology and vocational literacy to make them prepared completely," she said.
