Expressing concern over the results of SSC exam-2007, educationists said capitalism has engulfed the country's education system where students backed by solvent families are achieving glorious results while students from poor families are failing to obtain even pass marks as schools fail to provide quality education to them.

This year around 3.7 lakh students did not pass and the number of zero success in an institutions is 248 against 193 of last year. Most of the students who failed and educational institutes with zero success are in rural areas where the schools could not provide quality education and guardians could not afford private tutors for their kids.

However, a total of 774 educational institutes achieved 100 percent success and a total of 32,646 students achieved the highest grade point average five (GPA-5) this year against 30,490 of last year.

Schools in urban areas particularly those in metropolitan cities dominate the GPA-5 category this year. Among the top 10 GPA-5 securing schools under Dhaka Education Board nine are in the capital, in Chittagong Education Board six out of the best 10 are in Chittagong city, in Comilla Board seven out of the top 10 are in Comilla Sadar upazila, in Sylhet Board six out of top 10 GPA-5 securing schools are in Sylhet city and all the 10 best GPA-5 securing schools under Jessore Board are in Khulna city, Jessore and Kushtia Sadar upazilas.

Education Secretary M Mamtazul Islam said the percentage of successful students went down this year due to the long teachers' strike last year observed at non-government schools. Educationalists said students of urban areas and of solvent families made good the loss in lessons while students of rural areas and of poor families could not.

Educationist Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury said disparity in the quality of teaching in rural and urban areas is being seen, an alarming issue for a democratic country.

"A germ has already entered our society. Education has turned into a commodity where investment gets priority. For this reason, students of urban areas performed well in the SSC exams," he told The Daily Star.

This year the pass rate of the SSC exam has declined to 57.37 percent from last year's 59.04 percent. Among the 42.63 percent failed students, over 30 percent students did not pass in English, sources in the computer section of Educational Boards said.

Educationists said most schools in rural areas do not have sufficient teachers, especially English and Math teachers, and so the students of rural areas do not do well in those subjects.

Educationist Prof Maniruzzaman Miah, former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, said there is wide disparity between rural and urban areas in terms of availability of good teachers and infrastructure facilities.

"Particularly in rural areas the number of qualified English and Math teachers are inadequate therefore schools in rural areas have poor SSC result," he said adding that communicative English was introduced a few years ago but English teachers particularly in rural areas are not trained to teach the students.

Meanwhile, education ministry introduced a training programme English Language Development Project (ELDP), which did not run properly, teachers alleged.

Besides, students of different schools alleged that teachers of English and Science subjects encourage students to obtain private tuition and do not take classes regularly.

Selim Bhuiyan, chief coordinator of Shikkhak Karmachari Oikya Jote, a combine of non-government teachers' and employees' organisations, said good teachers especially English and Math teachers have a tendency to move to urban areas as they can earn more through private tuition.

He said newly appointed teachers who have completed BA or BSc Pass Degree are very weak in English as the government withdrew compulsory English course since 1980.

Education Watch Report-2006, a survey conducted by Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), also pointed finger at the trend towards depending on private tuition. According to the report, 88 percent students of government high schools and 78 percent students of non-government high schools in urban areas have private coaching or tutors. Parents spend Tk 16,894 annually on an average to provide this private education.