GPA-5 galore in HSC

Students of Holy Cross College are elated at their results in HSC exams. The college secured third place among the Dhaka Board institutions.

The results of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations 2010 show a significant rise in the number of students passed and GPA-5 achievers.
The percentage of students passed this year's HSC exams under eight education boards stands at 71.82 with 25,512 GPA-5 (Grade Point Average) scorers. The pass percentage increased by 1.39 points while GPA-5 achievers 7,290 than that of the last year's.
A total of 5,33,369 students-- 2,88,546 male and 2,44,823 female--passed in this year's HSC and equivalent exams out of 7,18,084 examinees-- 3,86,671 male and 3,31,413 female.
As many as 145 students under Dhaka board sat for the exams in five centresabroad and of them 120 came out successful.
The combined pass percentage under 10 education boards including Madrasa Education Board and Technical Education Board rose to 74.28 from that of the last year's 72.78, according to statistics of the Education Boards' Computer Centres.
Under the 10 boards, 28,671 students -- 16,769 male and 11,902 female -- scored GPA-5, which was 20,136 last year. The pass percentage of boys and girls this year stands at 74.62 and 73.87 respectively.
Statistics show that like the last two years, almost one-third of GPA-5 scorers are from Dhaka board.
A total of 431 students out of 461 obtained GPA 5 from ten cadet colleges across the country, said a press release of Inter-service Public Relations (ISPR).
Like the other years, Alim examinees under Madrasa board did exceptionally well compared to other nine boards with a pass rate of 86.55. About 63,864 out of 73,790 students came out successful with 2,957 GPA-5 scorers.
The Technical board students also did well with 82.48 percent pass rate and 202 GPA-5 achievers.
The results of this year's HSC and equivalent examinations were simultaneously published at all examination centres and educational institutions yesterday noon, in 57 days since the exams ended.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid formally handed over the results to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina around 9:30am.
The number of colleges with cent percent pass rate decreased to 714 from last year's 755 while the number of institutions with zero success came down to 25 from 41 in 2009.
In terms of pass rate, Sylhet Education Board tops the chart among the eight general education boards while Dinajpur gets the bottom.
A declining trend of expelled students has also been marked this year as the number reduced to 608 from last year's 664. It was 785 in 2008 and 1,046 in 2007, according to statistics.
For the first time in years, two colleges outside the capital--Mymensingh Girls' Cadet College and Mirzapur Cadet College in Tangail--secured the first and second positions respectively on the list of top 20 institutions under Dhaka Education Board.
Holy Cross College and Rajuk Uttara Model College in the capital ranked third and fourth position respectively, while Residential Model College fifth.
As per the ministry's newly introduced selection system, an institution's success is measured under four criteria--the number of students registered for the exam, number of students appeared, pass rate and number of GPA-5 achievers.
Considering the controversy in selecting institutions with cent percent success rate, the ministry set the new criteria this year, which were also applied in the recent Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams.
A confusion rose during the education minister's press conference when he announced 74.31 percent pass rate including the results of DIBS (Diploma in Business Studies) in the main results.
Asked, why DIBS results were included with the main HSC results under Dhaka board when it is not equivalent, the minister adjourned the press briefing for around half-an-hour.
Later in his second briefing, Nahid said the DIBS examinations are equivalent to HSC. In the past, the results were not included with the total results, which happened for the first time this year.
The total pass rate in 10 education boards including the DIBS results is 74.31 while 74.28 excluding it, he added.
A total of 3,070 students passed in DIBS exams under Dhaka Board out of 3,857 students with a success rate of 79.60. Of the successful students, 333 secured GPA 5.
Nurul Islam Nahid said this year they would follow the results of Education Boards' Computer Centre and that's why the results were uploaded in the websites of the colleges across the country.
About the rise in the pass rate, the education minister said sincere efforts by students and hard labour by their teachers and guardians have brought about such good results this year.