5, the killing digit

Every year the news of committing suicides by the Secondary or Higher Secondary public examinees is seen to frequently hit the headlines. In some years, the toll of this sort of caption is more than one. The very unreasonable cause of these unexpected deaths is none other than not getting GPA 5 (A+) in the public exams. After the result had been published, in most of the cases it was experienced that students from Science background get more frustrated than those of Humanities or Business Studies. We can recall the untimely deaths of Tania Akter, a nineteen-year-old girl from Patuakhali (Banglanews, 13 August 2014) and Nazrul Islam, 17, son of Shirajul Islam from Habiganj (The Daily Sun, 13 August 2015). Whatever be the root motives of the deaths mentioned above, it is very simple and crystal clear that the cause of disappointment or frustration is the breaking of their dreams of getting admitted in the long cherished institution like Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology (BUET) and a fear of not getting chance in public medical colleges. But the ratio is comparatively much in respect of engineering candidates than those of medical and Dhaka University Science applicants. And it is because of the scientific system of counting CGPA in admission requirements by DU (Dhaka University). In DU and medical college exams if a student unfortunately misses CGPA 5 out of 5 in any science subject, it hardly matters in case of his or her getting chance in those institutions. The thing is - as he/she couldn't cut a good figure in HSC, now he/she needs to work hard during the preparation months before the admission test exam date.
Now, what is my point or logic on behalf of the prospective candidates of BUET who unfortunately missed CGPA 5 in one or two subjects in HSC, particularly this year, is that the authority concerned will do a favour to the hapless. They can (gracefully) lax the requirements of getting 24 points out of 25 each subject grading 5 (Physics, Chemistry, Math, Bangla and English) in HSC, making it 22 or 23 out of 25 or 27 or 28 out 30 this year (including newly added subject ICT). Believe me, it is the voice of thousands of candidates, not mine. To your surprise, some students who unfortunately missed CGPA 5 in HSC from science sit for exam for second time only for attending Admission Test in BUET, losing a valuable year from their lives. As they (the authority of BUET) have to arrange exam only for the science students, we think, it will not be so hard for them to arrange exams for the increasing numbers. Consequently, though the candidates who have secured 29/30 out of 30 (with ICT) have to prove their worth twice, the unfortunate, at least, will get a chance to prove themselves to be eligible ones.
As a student from Science background, I can surely say from my experience that some students even get disappointed while they were attending HSC exams if he/she somehow understands that he/she is going to miss A+ in any of the Science subjects. As a result, he/she having lost hope sometimes cuts a sorry figure in the rest of the subjects, and gets frustrated (sometimes commit suicide) after the result is published, letting the world know that 5 is 'a killing digit'.  I would not like to say that BUET is the only cause, there might be other reasons.  But, if the most honourable authority of the BUET becomes considerate in this respect, at least the number of frustrated students will be reduced in a visible numbers, we do believe. We also would like to get at least a motivational speech from the VCs of leading universities on the issue that "GPA hardly matters." Good luck for the hapless!