Competitive attitude among students, better care by guardians and teachers and copy-free examinations contributed to the extraordinary results in this year's HSC exams, educationists said yesterday.
The number of colleges with cent percent pass rate has increased while the number of educational institutions with zero percent pass rate has come down in all the nine education boards, indicating a qualitative change in this year's HSC results.
The number of colleges and madrasas with cent percent pass rate this year rose to 674 from last year's 434 while the number of educational institutions with zero percent pass rate stands at 41 this year against last year's 60.
Only 21 colleges achieved cent percent pass rate in 2002. But the number increased to 44 in 2003, 83 in 2004, 272 in 2005 and 363 in 2006.
The number of colleges having zero percent pass rate was 86 in 2006, 131 in 2005 and 553 in 2002.
Dhaka Education Board Chairman Prof Monirul Islam said students are now studying more. Besides, monitoring by the education boards and better training of teachers have contributed to better results in the HSC exams.
He told The Daily Star that the cancellation of Monthly Payment Order of the colleges with bad results has encouraged teachers to be more attentive to teaching students.
Shahanara Begum, former principal of Ideal School and College at Motijheel, said both teachers and students are now familiar with the new GPA system.
“Since university admissions have become more competitive, students now try to do well in exams. Besides, colleges now arrange model tests before exams which help students do better in board exams," she said.
Guardians are now more conscious about their children's career. Besides, copy-free exams help good students perform well, Shahanara Begum said.
This year, Notre Dame College, Dhaka City College and Viqarunnisa Noon College secured first, second and third positions in terms of GPA-5 achievers in the HSC exams.
Dhaka Commerce College secured the fourth place with 518 GPA-5 achievers while New Government Degree College, Rajshahi became fifth with 443 GPA-5 holders.
This year, Notre Dame College, having 1189 students with GPA-5, secured the first position for the fourth consecutive year.
Last year, Viqarunnisa Noon College and Dhaka City College secured the second and third positions respectively for the third consecutive year. But this year Dhaka City College with 987 GPA-5 achievers beat Viqarunnisa Noon College having 663 students with GPA-5.
The other colleges that made it to top 20 include Ideal School and College, Motijheel, Bir Shreshtha Noor Mohammad Rifles Public School and College, Holy Cross College, Rajuk Uttara Model School and College, Dhaka College, Government AH College, Bogra, Chittagong College, Cantonment College, Jessore, Government Hazi Muhammad Mohsin College, Chittagong, BAF Shaheen College, Dhaka, Comilla Victoria Government College, Cantonment Public School and College, Rangpur, Government Commerce College, Chittagong, Rajshahi Government City College, and Bogra Cantonment Public School and College.
This year, a total of 507 madrasahs achieved cent percent pass rate against last year's 356.
The number of institutions under Technical Education Board that achieved cent percent pass rate is 97 this year, compared to last year's 38.
In the seven education boards, 70 colleges achieved cent percent pass rate. Of those, 40 are under Dhaka, 13 under Rajshahi, four under Comilla, two under Jessore, five under Chittagong, two under Barisal and four under Sylhet education boards.
The number of students expelled during this year's HSC exams is lower than previous year's. A total of 785 examinees were expelled this year, while the number of expelled students was 1,046 in 2007, 1,000 in 2006, 1,729 in 2005, 3747 in 2004, 7,616 in 2003 and 31,835 in 2002.
Education Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman at a press briefing at the ministry said the statistics show that the quality of education in the country has improved.
"Monthly Pay Order (MPO) of the institutions which have zero percent pass rate would be cancelled," he said, adding that MPOs of the institutions where less than five students passed would be scrapped for a year and the restrictions would be lifted if the institutions do well in the future.