Bangladesh has recorded a historic slump in Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examination results, with the overall pass rate plunging to just 52.12 per cent. The figures mark the lowest success rate in two decades, drawing direct comparisons to the dismal 47 per cent pass rate recorded back in 2004.
Out of 1,240,798 candidates who sat the examinations across the country, only 646,685 students successfully passed, leaving nearly six lakh candidates—594,113 in total—unsuccessful. Official analysis indicates that compulsory technical subjects were the primary drivers of this academic setback. A staggering 382,021 students failed in English and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) combined. Specifically, 243,528 candidates failed to pass English, while 138,493 fell short in ICT.
The widespread academic decline is also reflected in institutional performance. A total of 293 educational institutions across the country reported a zero per cent pass rate, meaning not a single student from those colleges managed to clear the examinations. This represents a steep rise from last year, when 202 institutions recorded zero passing candidates, marking an increase of 91 failing institutions in a single year. Overall, the national pass rate plummeted by 6.71 percentage points compared to the previous year’s figure of 58.83 per cent.
Education Minister Dr A. N. M. Ehsanul Hoque Milan formally announced the examination results during a press conference held at the Ministry of Education’s conference room in the Secretariat on Saturday, 31 October. Addressing concerns over the vast number of failing candidates, the minister outlined immediate remedial measures. Students who failed one or more subjects will be given an opportunity to resit those specific examinations within the next one to two months, allowing them a swift path toward academic recovery without losing an entire academic year.
