While on the surface, the far lower percentage of students passing the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations is shocking -- the overall pass rate stands at 58.83% which was 77.75% in 2024 and 78.64% in 2023 -- this is the moment to reflect on the state of our education rather than have reactionary takes.
To that end, we agree with the sentiments of the adviser to the Education Ministry Prof Dr Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar who said the government wanted the country’s education system to portray its true picture.
The fact that our education system has been suffering is no surprise to anybody at this point. Year after year, from the woeful allocation of the national budget to education to the archaic approach to our curricula and pedagogy, our education has needed a jolt for some time now.
There is also truth in the statement that the real crisis of the education system was being hidden to show good results in the public examinations -- one that backfired as students moved on to universities and then the job field, where the majority have historically struggled.
Instead of lamenting on the number of students who have failed to pass the exams, it is time now for a culture change, one where aligning our education with the needs of not just the job market but the rest of the ever-evolving world in the 21st century is made a priority.
We expect successive governments to take note of this year’s results as a watershed moment that triggered collective thinking about the future of our country’s education, and have the necessary investments in place, accompanied by the political will, to make that most necessary change. As things stand, our education is not, and has not been, good enough for a nation that has our ambitions. It is time to change that.
