SSC, equivalent results expose rural-urban divide persists [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

SSC, equivalent results expose rural-urban divide persists

Local May 07, 2019

The results of Secondary School Certificate and equivalent examinations published on Monday exposed that rural-urban divide in education widened.
Students of rural districts lag behind their fellows in the cities in terms of pass rate and highest grade point average 5.
Most of the educational institutions having less than 50 per cent pass rate are from the rural areas.
Academics and education officials have blamed shortage of facilities, competent teachers and low income of the families of students living in rural areas for the persisting gap in the results.
The academics also alleged that the disparity was on the rise following commercialisation of education.
This year, the combined pass rate is 82.2 per cent and the number of students securing GPA 5 is 1,05,594.
Under Dhaka board, 88.21 per cent students from the capital city passed the SSC exam while 66.51 per cent students from Madaripur, 67.02 per cent from Faridpur and 70.45 per cent from Shariatpur passed the exam.
In Dhaka city, highest 18.71 per cent examinees achieved GPA 5. The lowest percentage of GPA 5 achievers was in Shariatpur 1.01 per cent, followed by Munshiganj 1.24 per cent and Rajbari 1.55 per cent.
Under Barishal board, the number of the educational institution having less than 50 per cent pass rate was highest in Jhalakati, which was 35.
The highest pass rate under the board was in Pirojpur, 86.95 per cent, and the lowest in Jhalakati, 67.14 per cent.
The pass rate was 70.38 per cent in Sylhet and 69.57 per cent per cent in Moulavibazar.
Under Sylhet board, the highest percentage of GPA 5 achievers was in Sylhet, 4.75 per cent, and the lowest was in Sunamganj, 1.47 per cent.
According to the results, the number of institutions with a zero pass rate was 107 in 2019.
Number of institutions with zero pass rate was 109 in 2018, 93 in 2017, 53 in 2016 and 47 in 2015.
Less than 50 per cent students passed from 1,751 schools and madrassahs in 2019.
The number of such institutions was 3,355 in 2018, 3,001 in 2017, 875 in 2016 and 947 in 2015, said board officials.
While announcing the results at International Mother Language Institute in the capital on Monday, education minister Dipu Moni said that they did not want any discrimination between rural and urban areas in education sector.
They were trying to improve the infrastructures and teachers in rural areas, she said.
They would also find out the reasons why no students passed from some institutions, the minister added.
Inter-education board coordination subcommittee chief and Dhaka Education Board chairman Md Ziaul Haque told New Age that it was their assumption that cities would get higher pass rate and more achievers of GPA 5 compared to rural areas.
‘This divide will remain as it is connected with the economic and social disparities in the society,’ he said.
If life standard improves and income of people increases, this divide would be reduced gradually, he said.
The situation is improving, Md Ziaul Haque added.
‘Unfortunately it becomes normal now-a-days that students living in urban areas do better than students in rural areas,’ said Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology computer science and engineering professor Mohammad Kaykobad.
He blamed lack of resources, competent and sufficient teachers, facilities in the educational institutions and low income of families of the students in rural, especially remote, areas for the disparity in the results.
In 60s many students did excel in results from villages which became a mere incident currently due to commercialisation of education, he said.
‘The students in cities can easily buy education which the students from rural areas cannot do,’ he continued.
Mohammad Kaykobad demanded more allocation in education sector, more verified and standard questions in the examinations and improved evaluation system to address the disparities.