SSC results and relevant issues
Sunday, 29 June 2008
A record 72.18 per cent students have come out successful in this year's Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent -- Dhakil and vocational -- examinations. Besides, nearly 52,500 students, the highest number since the introduction of the grade average point (GPA) system introduced in 2001, have secured GPA-5. There are few more improvements. The number of schools with 100 per cent success rate has increased to 2272 from 774 last year and those having 'zero' success rate declined to 97 from the last year's 248.
All these achievements do indicate that students are becoming increasingly attentive to their studies and teachers and guardians taking good care of them. Otherwise, a steady increase in the pass percentage along with more and more students securing higher grades in public examinations would not have been possible in recent years when copying in examination halls has declined substantially. The immediate past political government in general and the education ministry in particular do deserve some appreciation for the serious efforts they made to stop the vice of copying in public examinations. Besides strong and effective vigilance in examination halls, the change in curricula, particularly that of English as a subject, has helped the authorities concerned to reduce copying in examinations.
It remains debatable whether higher pass percentage and increased number of students getting top grades in examinations would help the country fulfil its demand for the right kind of manpower in various sectors of the economy. If the needs remain unfulfilled in future, it will, surely, be the failure of the policymakers, not these talented young boys and girls, for not being able to put in place the right kind of education for the students at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Students have been doing their part by improving their performance in public examinations every year. And there has been no dearth of appreciation on the part of guardians, teachers and all others for this achievement.
The unbound joy and happiness of young students who have done exceptionally well in SSC examinations have surely made everybody happy. But the question that has started haunting every enlightened mind soon after the publication of the SSC results: How many of the top GPA getters would be able to secure a place in colleges known for providing quality education? Besides, according to a report circulated by the state-owned news agency, the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), there are not even enough seats in colleges to accommodate the students who have come out successful in this year's SSC examinations. The colleges across the country together have about 480,000 seats while the number of admission seekers will be 726,563.
Nearly two-thirds of the students who got GPA-5 would be deprived of getting admission to around 60 reputed colleges across the country. In Dhaka city, where there is a large concentration of GPA-5 getters, there will be a usual rat race for getting admission to top 10 to 12 colleges having only 2140 seats. The students with GPA-5 have already started worrying about their prospect of getting a place in these colleges. This problem has grown over the years with the authorities concerned failing to take care of the same. The ministry of education should immediately hold consultations with other stakeholders on the admission issue and find a solution without further delay.
All these achievements do indicate that students are becoming increasingly attentive to their studies and teachers and guardians taking good care of them. Otherwise, a steady increase in the pass percentage along with more and more students securing higher grades in public examinations would not have been possible in recent years when copying in examination halls has declined substantially. The immediate past political government in general and the education ministry in particular do deserve some appreciation for the serious efforts they made to stop the vice of copying in public examinations. Besides strong and effective vigilance in examination halls, the change in curricula, particularly that of English as a subject, has helped the authorities concerned to reduce copying in examinations.
It remains debatable whether higher pass percentage and increased number of students getting top grades in examinations would help the country fulfil its demand for the right kind of manpower in various sectors of the economy. If the needs remain unfulfilled in future, it will, surely, be the failure of the policymakers, not these talented young boys and girls, for not being able to put in place the right kind of education for the students at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Students have been doing their part by improving their performance in public examinations every year. And there has been no dearth of appreciation on the part of guardians, teachers and all others for this achievement.
The unbound joy and happiness of young students who have done exceptionally well in SSC examinations have surely made everybody happy. But the question that has started haunting every enlightened mind soon after the publication of the SSC results: How many of the top GPA getters would be able to secure a place in colleges known for providing quality education? Besides, according to a report circulated by the state-owned news agency, the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), there are not even enough seats in colleges to accommodate the students who have come out successful in this year's SSC examinations. The colleges across the country together have about 480,000 seats while the number of admission seekers will be 726,563.
Nearly two-thirds of the students who got GPA-5 would be deprived of getting admission to around 60 reputed colleges across the country. In Dhaka city, where there is a large concentration of GPA-5 getters, there will be a usual rat race for getting admission to top 10 to 12 colleges having only 2140 seats. The students with GPA-5 have already started worrying about their prospect of getting a place in these colleges. This problem has grown over the years with the authorities concerned failing to take care of the same. The ministry of education should immediately hold consultations with other stakeholders on the admission issue and find a solution without further delay.