A drop in the pass rate by 4.3 percentage points from the previous year's record of 91.34 per cent pass seems to have alarmed all involved with the education system and beyond. The authorities and others were quick to point accusing fingers at the political turmoil that disrupted the examination schedule. There is no denying the fact that examinees had to appear at the examination halls in a situation highly intimidating and uncongenial for the purpose. Then the other factor blamed for the slide in the pass rate is structured question papers for mathematics for the first time this year.
True, these are reasons obvious enough for anyone to see. But there are other reasons not always seen. For example, the political decision that goes into shaping the overall format of results cannot be denied. When examiners are instructed to liberally mark answer papers instead of judging the power of comprehension and expression of an examinee, the issue of pass rate does not remain confined to the academic affairs and scholarship alone. The hard truth is that the 80 plus or 90 plus per cent of pass rates are the result of such a political decision. Even this time the pass rate of the Rajshahi Board, politically a most volatile region, has been 94.97 per cent. One cannot say that students under a particular education board are better endowed to score higher marks.
The bottom line is that results are relative and depend on the policy adopted to evaluate question papers. Also until recently, the government policy put emphasis on quantities, not on quality of education. Of late, strong voices have been raised from different quarters in favour of ensuring quality as well. That the education minister has even hinted at abolishing the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) subscribes to the view. If it is implemented, surely both the pass rate and the number of GPA (grade point average)-5 achievers will drastically decline. Does it not show that political decisions are responsible for turning educational institutions into factories of mass production of certificate holders or its reverse? A paradigm shift in education from quantity to quality was warranted, anyway. But this cannot be done overnight.
The education minister's recipe for this cannot be endorsed as well. He has blamed dishonest teachers for leaking MCQ set hours before the start of the examinations. If this is so, the need is to identify those teachers and sack them. How many teachers are involved in such a malpractice? Even if the number is large, they lose the right to be in the teaching profession. MCQ has not done any wrong and punishing students for disgraceful teachers cannot be a wise decision. Rather, greater emphasis should be put on employment of quality teachers. Without highly qualified and dedicated teachers, it is futile to expect quality education. In the past, this country boasted extraordinary teachers who advanced the cause of education notwithstanding the many limitations. Today, facilities are there but teachers are either not enough qualified or hardly committed to the cause. This indeed is the point where from a new beginning to quality education should take off.
Downside of high pass rates in exams
FE Team | Published: June 01, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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