Mathematics the key

With the secondary students doing better in mathematics, the SSC results this year show a rise in both the pass rate and the number of GPA-5 achievers in eight general education boards.

The success rate rose to 88.7 percent, up by 1.98 percentage points from that of last year.

A total of 96,769 students under the eight boards got GPA-5 this year. The number was 93,631 last year, according to the results published yesterday.

After an uptrend for six consecutive years, the pass rate and the number of GPA (Grade Point Average)-5 achievers in Secondary School Certificate exams came down last year. At that time, teachers and officials cited students' poor performance in mathematics for the slide.

This time, the students have done particularly well in the subject, pushing the pass rate up, say officials at the education boards.

"Mathematics has always been considered as a major factor in the result chart. The performance of students in this subject is better this year," Dhaka Education Board Chairman Prof Mahabubur Rahman told The Daily Star.

The average pass rate in mathematics is 93.13 percent which is about 2 percentage points higher than that of last year.

When the government introduced a creative method in mathematics last year, many students found it difficult to answer the questions and couldn't do well in the subject. But this year, students have been able to master the techniques and it is reflected in the results, said the officials.

In Dhaka Board, the success rate in mathematics rose to 93.1 percent from last year's 92.8 percent. In Jessore Board, the pass rate went up by 7.77 percentage points, according to the statistics provided by the boards.

Apart from mathematics, the students did well in English. The average pass rate in the subject is 97.41 percent.

The results came in less than two months after the exams.

Yesterday, schools across the country took a festive look. Many of the students and parents, who looked anxious for some time, erupted into jubilation as soon as they received the results.

Some danced while some showed victory signs. Happiness was writ large on their faces.

"I cannot express in words how happy I am," said a jubilant Raisa, a student of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College. She got GPA-5.

Thanking her teachers, she said, "They taught us very well throughout the year and we also worked hard. And it paid off.

"I give credit to my parents for their constant support."

More than 13 lakh students from 28,107 institutions took this year's SSC exams under the eight education boards. Of them, 11,53,363 passed the tests and 1,46,921 failed.

The pass rates of boys and girls are 88.77 and 88.68 percent in eight boards.

The combined pass rate under 10 education boards, including madrasa and technical boards, rose to 88.29 percent from last year's 87.04 percent.

However, the number of GPA-5 achievers in the 10 boards dropped to 109,761 from last year's 111,901. Only 76 examinees secured GPA-5 in 2001 when the grading system was introduced.

Overall, girls have done slightly better in terms of pass rate this year.

Announcing the results at a crowded press conference at his ministry, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said the exam success was the culmination of a combined effort from all.

"We are not saying the result is perfect, but it shows that we are improving gradually. If we can continue our efforts, we would be able to do better in future.

"I'm happy but I would like to be happier," he said, congratulating the students.

On the introduction of a creative method in mathematics despite opposition from parents, the minister said, "The method was introduced on the recommendations of educationists and teachers who are the main formulators of the method."

Earlier, the education minister handed over a copy of the results to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Gono Bhaban.

Nahid said most of the students flunk English and mathematics. Keeping this in mind, the ministry asked the schools to arrange extra classes on the subjects and also provided training to teachers from around 8,000 schools.

This year, some 4,734 institutions saw a 100 percent pass rate. No student passed from 53 institutions, 37 of which are madrasas.

Like the previous year, Rajshahi Board topped the chart in terms of success rate (95.7 percent) while Barisal Board was at the bottom (79.41 percent).

As in past several years, students of science group with a pass rate of 95.89 percent did better than those of the other two groups. The pass rate is 83.36 percent in humanities group and 88.98 percent in business studies group.

Two of the eight centres abroad saw 100 percent success with 112 of 395 students securing the highest grade point. The children of expatriate Bangladeshis took the exams in those centres.