Bangladesh lags behind all in South Asia in HSC pass rate

In this year’s HSC and equivalent examinations, a picture of disaster is evident across all result indicators. The pass rate has dropped to 52.12 percent, which is the lowest in the past 22 years.

In the Humanities group alone, 58 percent of students failed. A total of 3,82,000 examinees failed in English and ICT, accounting for 64 percent of all failing students. These results have raised fresh questions about the country’s education system, classroom instruction, student preparation, and examination and evaluation methods.

At the same time, discussions regarding Bangladesh’s educational standing against international standards have come to the fore. Educational circles are debating how high pass rates are at the higher secondary level in other countries around the world, whether Bangladesh’s results are truly alarming, and how logical it is to judge the quality of education solely by pass rates.

A review of higher secondary examination results in countries, including India, Nepal, and Pakistan, shows that pass rates range from over 80 to 90 percent in some places, while sitting between 50 and 60 percent in others. In the United Kingdom, the pass rate for A-Level examinations is nearly 98 percent.

However, directly comparing results among these countries is difficult because there are fundamental differences in examination administration, evaluation methods, passing criteria, student selection, and curricula.

Dhaka Education Board and Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee Chairman Syed Akhteruzzaman told Agamir Somoy, “There is no specific benchmark in considering results by international standards regarding what percentage of students passing would be considered good. However, comparing this year’s results with countries, it cannot be called very bad. We want everyone who takes the exam to pass; but in the reality of our country, that may not be possible.”

Higher secondary pass rates in countries

In 2025, the pass rate in the Grade 12 examinations under India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) stood at 88.39 percent. Students in the Science, Humanities, and Business Studies streams sit for exams under this major education board in the country.

In the same year, the pass rate in the ISC examinations under the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) was close to that figure. On the other hand, in West Bengal state, the pass rate in the 2025 higher secondary examinations was 90.79 percent.

Compared to Bangladesh’s HSC examinations this year, West Bengal’s rate is 38.67 percent higher. However, the results of these Indian boards cannot be viewed as the overall result for all higher secondary examinees in the country, as there are separate state boards alongside central boards, each with its own examination and evaluation methods.

Under Nepal’s National Examinations Board (NEB), the pass rate for the Grade 12 examinations in 2025 was around 61.17 percent, which is nearly 9 percent higher than that of Bangladesh.

However, subject-wise grades, minimum marks, and passing conditions play a significant role in determining results in Nepal’s examinations. As a result, the gap in results between the two countries cannot be directly seen as a gap in educational quality.

Unlike Bangladesh, Pakistan does not have a single central education board. Higher secondary or intermediate examinations are conducted under separate education boards across different provinces and major cities. Results for Science, Pre-Medical, Pre-Engineering, General Science, Commerce, and Humanities streams are also published separately.

Differences in pass rates are observed across the published board-based results. In various boards across Punjab province, pass rates fluctuated between 55 and 72 percent. Among them, the pass rate was 71.13 percent in the Faisalabad Board, 60.80 percent in Rawalpindi, 65.15 percent in Multan, 58.16 percent in Gujranwala, and 60.03 percent in Lahore.

Differences also exist across streams. The pass rate in the Pre-Medical stream was 61.43 percent, while it stood at 55.59 percent in Pre-Engineering and General Science. On the other hand, in Commerce and Humanities, pass rates dropped into the 50 percent range in many instances.

Pakistan’s Inter Board Coordination Commission (IBCC) decided to raise the minimum passing benchmark from 33 percent to 40 percent. Therefore, new passing conditions must also be taken into account when analyzing the country’s results. Overall, it is difficult to cite a unified national pass rate for Pakistan.

Systemic evaluation differences in the UK and US

In the United Kingdom, there is no single central higher secondary examination for all students as in Bangladesh. There, A-Level exam results are published through various examining bodies.

In 2025, the proportion of students receiving grades A through E in the A-Level exams in the UK was around 97.7 percent. However, “passing” here refers to receiving grades ranging from A to E. The grades required for university admission vary depending on the institution, subject, and course. As a result, this A-Level pass rate is not directly comparable to Bangladesh’s HSC examination.

The education system in the United States is quite different from that of Bangladesh. There is no centralized public examination like the HSC for students across the country. Students are awarded a High School Diploma based on continuous school assessment, earning required credits, and completing necessary courses. The high school completion rate in the US is over 87 percent.

Pass rates in light of international educational standards

According to educationists, the quality of education in a country cannot be determined by what percentage of students pass an examination. The quality of education is measured by indicators such as how much students are learning, their reading and English-math skills, and whether they can apply acquired knowledge in real life.

Under Goal 4 of UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasis is placed on ensuring quality and inclusive education, as well as achieving minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics for children at specific ages.

On the other hand, the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) evaluates students’ ability to apply reading, mathematics, and science knowledge in real life rather than relying on rote learning. This test primarily measures the skills of 15-year-old students.

Dhaka Education Board former chairman Tapan Kumar Sarkar told Agamir Somoy, “There has always been a kind of political interference in Bangladesh’s exam results. At one time, it was said pass rates had to be increased, and later pressure came to reduce the pass rate.”

This has led to changes in result statistics as well. Alongside this are factors such as question paper patterns, strictness or leniency in answer script evaluation, and the awarding of grace marks.

For these reasons, it is difficult to directly compare Bangladesh’s exam results with those of other countries around the world. Many countries across the globe do not have public examinations like Bangladesh. In some places, student competence is assessed through continuous evaluation, and in others through grade-based systems such as A-Levels and O-Levels.

Potential challenges for higher education abroad

The decline in the HSC pass rate could create certain challenges for Bangladeshi students seeking higher education abroad. Particularly for university admissions in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and various European countries, higher secondary results are considered an important qualification.

However, foreign universities generally do not admit students based on a country’s overall pass rate. They consider an applicant’s individual results, subject-wise grades, English language proficiency, entrance exam scores, extracurricular activities, and other qualifications. As a result, a deficiency in students’ individual results and subject-wise skills may have a greater impact than the drop in the overall pass rate.

Students with comparatively lower results may face issues getting admitted to their preferred universities or securing scholarships. Some universities may also impose conditions requiring the completion of a foundation course if required grades or subject-wise marks are lacking, raising concerns over increased time and expenses for higher education abroad.

Mujibur Rahman of the Institute of Education and Research at University of Dhaka said, “There is no specific international benchmark defining what percentage of passing students constitutes a good result. This is because each country’s curriculum, teaching methods, examination administration, and answer script evaluation types are distinct.

“In some places, student competence is evaluated through board exams, while in others, continuous assessment or class-based testing is prioritized. Therefore, it is improper to compare one country’s education quality with another based solely on pass rates.”

Noting that Bangladesh’s results need to be analyzed seriously, he added, “Behind the decline in pass rates, students’ lack of preparation, classroom teaching quality, teachers’ competency, examination question patterns, and evaluation methods - everything must be taken into consideration.

“In particular, it is crucial to analyze data regarding how many students failed in which subjects, the difference between urban and rural results, and the variation in results across institutions.”