Over 80 percent high school students quit schools without having their secondary school certificates (SSC) while 36.52 percent intermediate college level students dropped out without having their higher secondary certificates (HSC) in 2005, the survey said.

'Post Primary Education Institution Survey 2005', which was disclosed yesterday, shows that a total of 76.54 percent male students and 83.29 percent female students of high schools, especially of class six to ten, quit schools in that year.

At higher secondary level 36.81 percent of male students and 36.16 percent of female students failed to get their higher secondary certificates (HSC) in the same year.

Banbeis organised a daylong workshop in its central office where two survey reports titled 'Post Primary Educational Institution Survey 2005', and 'Bangladesh Educational Statistics 2006' were presented.

Banbeis Director Ahsan Abdullah said the dropout rate at secondary level continuous to remain alarming due to a variety of reasons including a low pass rate in the SSC exams.

"The total dropout rate at the secondary level was 80.02 percent in 2005 compared to 83.21 percent in 2004 and 83.43 percent in 2003, with the rate being much higher among female students," he said adding, "The dropout rate of females at secondary level was 83.29 percent in 2005 compared to 86.21 percent in 2004 and 86.26 percent in 2003."

The survey report also pointed out that on an average, there is one teacher for 25 students in junior secondary schools, the ratio is 1:33 in secondary schools, 1:38 in institutions which combine high schools and colleges, 1:7 in intermediate colleges, 1:18 in degree pass course colleges, 1:36 in honours colleges, and 1:60 in master's level colleges.

"On an average, the teacher student ratio in public universities is 1:17. The lowest teacher student ratio is in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Medical University (BSMMU) which is 1:3, and the highest is in Islamic University with 1:19," said Mofazzal Hossain, system manager of Banbeis, while presenting Post Primary Educational Institution Survey 2005 at the workshop.

The chief guest of the inaugural session, Ashraful Moqbul, an additional secretary to the education ministry, said Banbeis is an important window to the statistic of education, and its website should be more updated.

UNESCO Programme Specialist (Education) in Dhaka Hassan A Keynan, Banbeis Statistical Officer Khan Jahan Ali, and representatives of different NGOs were also present at the workshop among others.