The Dinajpur Education Board has recorded its worst Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) results in the past five years, with a pass rate of only 57.49%. Out of 103,832 students who sat for the exams under the board, only 60,882 passed — triggering widespread concern and criticism.
A press release signed by Professor Md Touhidul Islam, Chairman of Dinajpur Education Board, outlined the alarming statistics on Thursday.
According to the report, the board performed poorly in every category — including overall pass rate, number of GPA-5 achievers, and institutions with 100% pass rate.
This year’s pass rate of 57.49% is the lowest in the board’s history. In comparison, last year’s rate was 77.56%, and in the previous years: 74.48% in 2023, 79.08% in 2022, and 92.43% in 2021. This marks a drastic drop of 20 to 35 percentage points compared to recent years.
The number of GPA-5 achievers has also declined sharply. This year, only 6,260 students secured GPA-5, compared to 14,295 last year. In 2023, 6,459 students earned GPA-5; in 2022, it was 11,830; and in 2021, 15,349 students achieved the top grade.
One of the most alarming revelations is that 43 colleges under the Dinajpur Board recorded a 0% pass rate — not a single student passed from these institutions. Last year, the number of such colleges was 20; in 2023, it was 16; in 2022, 13; and in 2021, only two. This means the number of zero-pass colleges has increased over 21 times in just four years, raising serious concerns about the state of education in the region.
Conversely, the number of colleges with a 100% pass rate has also declined — from 15 last year to only 11 this year.
Despite the overall disappointing results, female students performed better than their male counterparts. The pass rate among girls stood at 61.92%, compared to 52.65% for boys. Of the 6,260 GPA-5 achievers, girls earned 3,486 and boys 2,774.
At the district level, Rangpur ranked highest with a pass rate of 68.29%, while Panchagarh came last with only 43.19%.
In response to the shocking results, Professor Touhidul Islam acknowledged that the failure of 43 colleges had a major impact on the overall pass rate. He confirmed that investigations will be carried out, and necessary actions will be taken.
