Nahid also attributes HSC pass rate fall to BNP-Jamaat agitation

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Sunday said the pass rate in the HSC and its equivalent examinations came down due to hartal and blockade programmes enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance during the examinations. “The students had to face tension and uncertainty during their exams due to hartal and blockade programme, and that’s the main reason for the significant drop in the pass rate in this year’s HSC and its equivalent examination,” he told a press briefing at his ministry. “Besides, some changes in creative questions and government steps to prevent question paper leak might have affected the results. We’ll look into the matter,” he said. The students, however, did well in mathematics, science and technical subjects, the minister claimed. Earlier in the day, the results of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations were published with 69.60 per cent pass percentage against last year's 78.33 per cent. A total of 7,38,872 students, out of 10,61,614, came out successful in the 10 educational boards. Some 42,894 students achieved the highest grade point average (GPA)-5 in the public examination, according to a news agency.---Aminul