The farther from cities, the worse the results

The examinations were held on the same day using identical question papers. The evaluation process was also the same. Yet the recently published Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examination results have revealed what appears to be two different countries within one nation.

Compared with students in the capital, metropolitan areas and divisional cities, pass rates and GPA 5 achievements in district towns, upazilas, haor areas, char regions, coastal areas and hill districts are not even half as high in some cases. The difference in pass rates exceeds 41 percentage points over a distance of just 52 kilometers.

More than 80 percent of all GPA 5 achievers under the Dhaka Education Board came from Dhaka metropolitan area alone. In contrast, the number of GPA 5 achievers in several districts near the capital did not even reach 100.

The results of this year’s HSC examinations were published on October 31. An analysis of results from 11 education boards, including nine general education boards, the Madrasa Education Board and the Technical Education Board, has revealed a stark disparity between urban and rural areas.

The gap is visible to varying degrees across all streams of education, including general, madrasa and technical education. The situation is particularly concerning in haor areas, char regions, drought-prone Barind areas, coastal regions and hill districts.

Education experts have expressed concern over such disparities in student performance under the same national education system. They say the differences reflect regional inequalities in access to education and its quality.

They have recommended identifying the underlying causes and using a mapping system to identify underperforming regions. Necessary programs should then be introduced on a priority basis without delay.

They also attribute the poor results in outlying areas not only to geographical factors but also to limited government facilities and inadequate monitoring.

Pass rates differ by 41 percentage points over 52 kilometers

The Dhaka Education Board’s results offer the clearest example of the disparity between urban and outlying areas.

The pass rate in Dhaka metropolitan area was 79.33 percent. However, in Manikganj, located just 52 kilometers from the capital, the pass rate was 38.25 percent. The difference was 41.08 percentage points. This means the pass rate in Manikganj was almost half that of the capital.

A total of 16,714 students achieved GPA 5 under this board. Of them, 13,482 were from Dhaka metropolitan area alone, accounting for 80.66 percent of all GPA 5 achievers.

In contrast, only 35 students achieved GPA 5 in Shariatpur, 54 in Rajbari, 55 in Munshiganj and 58 in Madaripur, all located near the capital.

Pass rate gap between Rajshahi and Naogaon reaches 37 percentage points

The Rajshahi Education Board provides another striking example of the extreme differences between urban and rural results.

Under this board, the difference in pass rates between Rajshahi metropolitan area and Naogaon, a district in the Barind region, was 37.32 percentage points.

The pass rate in char-dominated Sirajganj was only 37.86 percent.

Similarly, under the Dinajpur Education Board, the pass rate in the divisional city of Rangpur was 56.09 percent. In contrast, it was 36.20 percent in the border district of Panchagarh. The difference between Rangpur and Panchagarh exceeded 20 percentage points.

Under the Cumilla Education Board, the difference in results between the district headquarters and coastal areas exceeded 14 percentage points.

The pass rate in Cumilla district was 53.52 percent. In contrast, the pass rate in the char and coastal areas of Noakhali was 38.90 percent.

The difference in pass rates between Mymensingh and Jamalpur exceeded 16 percentage points. Outside Mymensingh, the combined pass rate in the other two districts, Netrokona and Sherpur, was 44.24 percent.

Among the 10 districts under the Jashore Education Board, the pass rate in Jashore district was 53 percent, compared with 36.78 percent in Narail. The difference was 16.16 percentage points.

Although the pass rate in Barishal district and metropolitan area was 49.95 percent, it was only 37.09 percent in Jhalakathi.

However, Pirojpur was an exception under this board. With a pass rate of 51.55 percent, the district secured the highest position among the districts under the board.

Under the Dinajpur Education Board, the pass rate in the divisional city of Rangpur was 56.09 percent. In contrast, it was only 36.20 percent in the border district of Panchagarh. The gap between the two districts exceeded 20 percentage points.

The pass rates were only 38.79 percent in Gaibandha and 40.71 percent in Kurigram.

Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), said special programs are implemented in different countries to help regions and schools with poor results catch up.

She said, “In Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam, schools that perform extremely poorly are declared special emergency zones and given one or two years. The government provides whatever is needed. Gradually, they improve. We also need to take emergency measures for outlying areas.”

Most GPA 5 achievers concentrated in cities

Dhaka metropolitan area alone accounted for 80.66 percent of all GPA 5 achievers under the Dhaka Education Board.

In the Sylhet Education Board, 64 percent of all GPA 5 achievers came from Sylhet district. Under the Cumilla Education Board, more than 56 percent came from the district of the same name.

A similar picture emerged under the Madrasa Education Board.

A total of 3,250 students across the country achieved GPA 5 in the Alim examination. Of them, 877 were from Dhaka district alone. More than half of all GPA 5 achievers came from Dhaka, Gazipur and Chattogram combined.

In contrast, not a single student achieved GPA 5 in Meherpur or Rangamati.

One of the most surprising findings is that the GPA 5 achievement rates in major metropolitan areas are higher than the overall pass rates in many outlying and hill districts.

For example, 41.08 percent of students in Dhaka metropolitan area achieved GPA 5, while the overall pass rate in Manikganj was even lower at 38.30 percent.

Similarly, the GPA 5 achievement rate in Chattogram metropolitan area was 26.34 percent, while the pass rate in Khagrachhari was only 29 percent.

Mohammad Mojibur Rahman, a professor at the Institute of Education and Research of the University of Dhaka, believes that failure to reduce the gap between urban and outlying areas will pose a major challenge to ensuring equal educational opportunities.

He said, “This picture is the result of changes in education policy following changes in government. Yet teachers at all educational institutions across the country receive the same government benefits. However, academic performance and results differ. This means there is a severe lack of monitoring in outlying areas.”

GPA 5 drought in haor regions

The Sylhet Education Board’s results also reveal a clear disparity between urban areas and haor regions.

The pass rate in Sylhet metropolitan area and district headquarters was 57.62 percent.

Of the 1,404 GPA 5 achievers under this board, 903 were from Sylhet district alone. This means 64 percent of all GPA 5 achievers came from the district.

In contrast, the pass rate in haor-dominated Sunamganj was 45.98 percent. Only 46 students across the entire district achieved GPA 5.

The pass rate was even lower in Moulvibazar at 43.84 percent.

Seven out of every 10 students fail in the hill districts

The results in the three hill districts are even more alarming.

Under the Chattogram Education Board, the pass rate in Khagrachhari was only 29.96 percent. This means more than seven out of every 10 examinees failed.

The pass rate was 32.62 percent in Rangamati and 41.37 percent in Bandarban.

In contrast, the pass rate in Chattogram metropolitan area was 66.20 percent.

The results have brought renewed attention to educational opportunities, institutional capacity and the learning environment in the hill districts.

Marginalized districts lag behind in coastal and southern regions

Under the Barishal Education Board, the overall pass rate across Barishal district and metropolitan area was 49.95 percent. However, it was only 37.09 percent in Jhalakathi.

Pirojpur was an exception under this board. Its pass rate was 51.55 percent, the highest among the districts under the board.

Similar situation in madrasa and technical education

Major disparities between urban areas and marginalized regions are also evident in madrasa and technical education.

While general education boards are organized regionally, the Madrasa and Technical Education Boards conduct examinations across the country under a single board.

In the Alim examination, the pass rate in Dhaka district was 89.20 percent. In contrast, it was only 25.59 percent in Narail. The difference between the two districts was 64 percentage points.

The pass rate was 31.25 percent in Manikganj, 33.89 percent in Joypurhat, 35.16 percent in Thakurgaon and 35.58 percent in Rajbari.

No student from Meherpur or Rangamati achieved GPA 5.

In contrast, the pass rate was 82.33 percent in Gazipur and 73.87 percent in Chattogram.

The Technical Education Board’s results reveal a similar picture.

The pass rate in Dhaka was 59.53 percent. In contrast, it was 28.42 percent in Jhalakathi, 29.50 percent in Bandarban and 32.80 percent in Pirojpur.

However, Cumilla recorded the highest pass rate under this board at 76.30 percent.