From SSC to HSC
43% of Students Drop Out Within Two Years
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Sanjida Akter Sumona passed the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) equivalent Dakhil examination with a GPA of 5 in 2024 from Karimganj Chobhania Fazil Madrasah in Kishoreganj. She enrolled in Class XI and completed her registration as a regular student. However, her family arranged her marriage shortly afterward, bringing her education to an abrupt halt. While her classmates will sit for the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations beginning on July 2, Sumona will not be among them.
She is not alone. More than 724,000 students who passed the SSC and equivalent examinations in 2024 will not be taking this year's HSC examinations.
According to data from the Inter-Education Board, 1,672,153 students passed the SSC and equivalent examinations in 2024. Of them, 1,491,872 registered as regular students in Class XI. However, only 947,943 completed the final HSC examination registration two years later. This means 724,210 students have dropped out of the mainstream education system after passing SSC, accounting for 43.31 percent of all successful candidates.
This year, 1,267,486 candidates will sit for the HSC and equivalent examinations under 11 education boards. Among them, 947,943 are regular candidates. The remaining 319,543 are irregular, private, or improvement candidates who are retaking one or more subjects, according to documents from the boards' controller of examinations offices.
Female Dropouts Higher in Number, Male Dropout Rate Higher: Gender-based analysis shows that in 2024, 865,600 female and 806,553 male students passed the SSC examinations. For the 2026 HSC examinations, 502,865 female and 445,857 male students are appearing as regular candidates.
Over the two-year period, 362,735 female and 360,196 male students dropped out. Although the number of female dropouts is slightly higher, the dropout rate is greater among males. The male dropout rate stands at 44.72 percent, compared with 41.99 percent for females.
Professor Syed Akhtaruzzaman, chairman of the Dhaka Education Board and president of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee, said it would be inaccurate to classify all registered students who are not taking the exam as dropouts.
"Many students skip a year due to personal or academic reasons and sit for the examination the following year. However, child marriage among girls and the growing tendency of students to migrate abroad remain major reasons behind dropout," he told Agamir Somoy.
Professor S.M. Kamal Uddin Haider, secretary of the Dhaka Education Board, said the education authorities have launched a major initiative to identify the real causes of student dropout and develop long-term solutions.
He said a pilot survey was conducted in several upazilas following the 2024 SSC examinations. The survey identified child marriage, male students entering the workforce to support their families, and migration abroad as the primary reasons for students leaving education.
According to the survey, the problem is particularly severe in northern Bangladesh, Shariatpur, Madaripur, and several coastal districts.
Dropout Rates by Education Board: Data analysis shows that the Cumilla Education Board recorded the highest dropout rate at 44.42 percent, followed by Jashore at 37.50 percent and Chattogram at 33.88 percent.
The Dhaka Education Board reported the lowest dropout rate at 29.28 percent, followed by Rajshahi at 30.25 percent.
The situation is even more alarming in the Madrasah and Technical Education Boards.
In the Madrasah Education Board, 139,929 students registered as regular candidates for the Alim examination, but only 78,269 completed the final registration. As a result, 61,660 students dropped out before the examination.
The Technical Education Board recorded the highest level of attrition. Of 165,542 registered students, only 75,197 completed the final registration. More than half—90,345 students will not be taking the examination.
Professor Mujibur Rahman of the Institute of Education and Research (IER) at the University of Dhaka argued that the government is using child marriage and overseas migration to divert attention from deeper systemic failures.
"The government's own position is that child marriage has declined significantly, and students of this age are generally not supposed to migrate abroad. Therefore, these explanations cannot fully account for the problem," he said.
He added that while many developed countries have made education compulsory through Grade 12, Bangladesh continues to neglect secondary education.
"There are teacher shortages and multiple structural deficiencies at this level. A 'Unique ID' project was launched nearly a decade ago to accurately track why students leave school, but it has never been fully implemented. As a result, the actual causes remain unknown, and education authorities continue to rely largely on estimates rather than precise data," he said.
