Bettering the scores at HSC

The results of this year's Higher Secondary Certificate examinations are a clear cause for happiness. The reason is obvious. There has not been only a rise in the pass percentage but also an increase in the number of GPA-5 achievers. With the overall success rate of all the eight boards of education being 71.82 per cent and the number of GPA-5 achievers going up by 7,290 over the figures for last year, we think that the results augur well for the future of education in the country. There can be no denying that the standard of education at the school and college levels has been growing, with both teachers and students clearly ready and willing to put in their best efforts for maximum achievements at the exam. As for the system of teaching and examinations, it must be said that in the past few years the weaknesses which at times were noticed in them are gradually being removed and progress is really on track.
And yet it has to be noted that the achievements made by HSC examinees this year are generally focused in the urban areas. There are clear indications that it is in towns and cities that many of the best educational institutions, be they schools or colleges, happen to be located. Quite naturally, it is these institutions which have regularly demonstrated an ability to do well at the examinations. So while we can certainly say we are happy and satisfied with the performance of students at the HSC examinations this year, we must also stress the importance of schools and colleges at the thana and upazila levels improving the quality of teaching and learning within themselves in order for these institutions to be on a par with those in the urban areas. It is particularly in the matter of GPA-5 that rural schools and colleges need to do better. In other words, a further expansion of the achievement chart fundamentally means a consolidation of the curricula and teachers' training we notice at present. The results should be a new incentive for colleges across the country to give more impetus to the education imparted to their pupils through a corresponding degree of improvement in the quality of their teachers.
The results of the SSC and HSC examinations in recent times have shown a patent enhancement in the quality of education in Bangladesh. Of particular significance is the fact that it is in English, a subject at which many students feel vulnerable, where marked improvement can be seen this year. We consider it an encouraging development. Let the education system, as it moves on, be a focused one and let no partisan political considerations, of whatever hue, mar such a purposeful enterprise.
We wish the successful HSC examinees a smooth passage to higher education in the days and weeks ahead. As they enter the university, we trust they will pursue a productive, undisturbed course of studies. An educated citizenry is a guarantee of future collective progress. Let no one miss this cardinal lesson.