THE results of the Secondary School Certificate and equivalent examinations, published on May 12, show that no single examinee has come out successful from 51 educational institutions, mostly madrassahs. Forty-two of the institutions are under the Madrassah Education Board, three under the Dhaka education board, four under the Dinajpur education board and two under the Rajshahi education board. The number of such institutions was 48 in 2023. This does appear neither an improvement on the situation nor a deterioration as the number of institutions from where no examinees have passed the secondary public examinations was 50 in 2022, 18 in 2021, 104 in 2020, 107 in 20198 and 109 in 2018. The statistics do not present any pattern or a trend, declining or improving. All this suggests a general absence of efforts, or even sincerity, on part of the agencies meant to look after national education. A very few students are reported to have taken the examinations from educational institutions with no examinees coming out successful. It has been reported that there were 11 institutions, including 10 madrassahs, with a single examinee having taken the examinations, with no success. The situation warrants a more detailed analysis of the reality and commensurate action.
The education minister at a press briefing that he held at the secretariat after the publication of the results said that punitive measures against such educational institutions would be irrational. The minister appears right when he says that the suspension of the monthly pay order scheme for such institutions would greatly harm the institutions, the students and the teachers and affording help and more facilities could be a good step forward so that the institutions could overcome any problems that they face. The minister, however, says that the approval of such institutions as examinations centres could be cancelled as a punitive measure. What is here to look into is what the ministry has done in the event of such poor performance of the institutions as this is no new phenomenon that has happened this time. Besides, there were 105 institutions with up to 10 per cent of its students coming out successful, 143 institutions with 10鈥�20 per cent successful candidates, 1,795 institutions with 20鈥�50 per cent successful candidates and 24,804 institutions with 50鈥�100 per cent successful candidates. Not only the institutions with no successful examinees but also institutions with up to 20 per cent successful candidates warrant similar help and facilities the minister has talked about.
Drastic punitive measures would certainly harm the institutions, the students and the teachers. Besides, the institutions perform poorly not only because of the institutions themselves and their teachers, but also because of the mangers of national education who are meant look after them and properly take care of them in the event of failures. The government must afford the poorly performing institutions the needed help to prove its sincerity to national education.
