The fact that 36 per cent of students are not sitting for this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations once again lays bare the alarming state of Bangladesh’s education system.
It also reflects a troubling lack of attention by policymakers to the future of the country’s next generation. Such a massive dropout between the secondary and higher secondary levels is a serious warning for both society and the state.
Falling out of the mainstream education system means that a significant proportion of these young people risk becoming an unskilled workforce, with long-term consequences for both individuals and the nation.
According to a Prothom Alo report, around 1.5 million students who had registered for Class XI after passing the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations two years ago were expected to sit for this year’s HSC examinations. However, about 550,000 students did not even complete the examination registration process.
In addition, 24,784 candidates were absent on the first day of the examinations. If those who failed to register and those who registered but did not appear are counted together, the actual proportion of students missing the HSC examinations is even higher.
Last year, just over 29 per cent of regular students did not sit for the examinations. The sharp increase within a single year is deeply concerning. The figures show absence rates of 33 per cent under the general education boards, 44 per cent in madrasas, and 54 per cent in technical education institutions.
It is imperative to identify why such a large number of students have dropped out within just two years and to take effective corrective measures. After last year’s unusually high absence, the Dhaka Education Board analysed data from 1,350 students.
The findings showed that 41 per cent had been married, making child marriage the leading cause of non-participation. Lack of preparation and poverty were the other two major reasons. However, without broader research and systematic investigation, it will be impossible to determine the full range of underlying causes.
We believe that S M Hafizur Rahman, a professor at the Institute of Education and Research at the University of Dhaka, has rightly argued that a comprehensive inquiry is needed to determine whether the crisis stems from flaws in the education system itself, students’ academic preparedness, or broader family, social, economic or personal factors. Such an investigation should not be left to the Ministry of Education alone. Rather, a national inquiry committee comprising educationists, economists and other relevant experts should be formed.
Experience over the past several decades shows that Bangladesh’s education system has been subjected to repeated experimentation, with students serving as the ultimate guinea pigs.
Successive governments have made lofty promises about improving education and safeguarding students’ futures, yet educational standards have steadily declined while the system has become increasingly politicised and commercialised.
As a result, quality education—from primary to higher secondary level—has become expensive and, in many cases, a luxury. Schools continue to suffer from a shortage of qualified teachers, while learning has increasingly shifted away from classrooms to private coaching centres, tutoring and guidebooks.
The large number of absence from this year’s HSC examinations therefore cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader deterioration of the country’s education system.
The government must recognise that once students lose confidence in the education system, rebuilding that trust becomes an enormously difficult task. We hope the government will place education at the very top of its national priorities to safeguard the future of the country’s next generation.