The pass rate in the Higher Secondary Certificate examinations in the country has been increasing breaking all previous records. It has risen to 78.33% this year from the 28.41% in 2001.
There has always been a debate regarding the hike of passing rate in the board examinations. Some educationalists label it a positive thing, while some others say pass rate is increasing because of the examiners’ liberal attitude towards the exam scripts.
Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research Professor Abul Ehsan said the increase in passing rate was a positive thing, but there remained a concern: whether the examiners were checking the exam scripts properly.
“It seems some teachers check the exam scripts liberally,” he said, and suggested that the examination system should be reformed.
“We need a good examination system where a student’s talent is properly evaluated,” he said.
In an earlier interview, Viqarunnnisa Noon School and College Principal, Manju Ara Begum told the Dhaka Tribune that she did not believe in the idea that the quality of education had fallen.
“In the grading system, students normally get higher marks than the previous system and the creative question style is another important thing to fuel the pass rate,” she said.
Earlier in June this year, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid sat with leading educationalists, where some educationalists questioned the standard of education.
Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, in that meeting, raised questions regarding the scrutinisation of answer scripts. He said the number of GPA 5 scorers were increasing because of liberal scrutinisation, but their academic skills were not improving that much.
At yesterday’s press briefing following the publication of this year’s HSC result, the education minister said the mentality that 50% students would fail in any examination was an old one. Students were performing better and the teachers were not showing any liberal attitude in checking examination scripts, he added.
