Not all is well for HSC results

At the time of unveiling the results of the truncated Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) examinations, Chairman of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee Tapan Kumar Sarker claims that this year's results have followed the general trend of the past few years. It is because, he elaborates, examinations of the two subjects ---English and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ---that primarily determine the pass and grades could be completed. The six subjects, the examinations in which were cancelled, do not influence the results much, he adds. Such a claim has to be accepted with a grain of salt because apart from Bangla and Mathematics, one or two elective subjects of different groups also are highly determinant factors in obtaining higher grades. Fortunately, examinations in Bangla and Mathematics were held but not in six subjects which are the determinant of students' aptitude in specialised subjects.

Much as the results prepared on the basis of subject mapping may be eulogised, there remains a slip between the cup and the lips. No one can deny that under the system, examinees were awarded marks in subjects they did not appear. Assessment is made purely on assumption. Who knows a large number of students would not have improved their scores and similarly others would not have done worse! Can this theory be applied to other important areas of life? One's performance of the time speaks for one's merit and skills. At every stage of academic education, the syllabi and subjects bring new challenges and students who can rise up to those qualify for the more challenging higher education. In case of students who have changed groups, subject mapping could not be a faultier tool in assessing merit. Students who have opted for the Humanities and Commerce groups from Science Group are the luckiest bunch while it is hardly so for those who made the reverse option.

In a way, the whole exercise smacks of not just a short-cut but also of pretension. This is evident from the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee Chairman's assertion that the academic transcription the qualified examinees will receive will bear no trace of subject mapping for result preparation. Education is one area that ought to remain free from such anomalies and stop-gap measures. To go by the chairman's claim that the examinees had full preparation for the examinations and they had no lacking in learning knowledge. If that was the case, there was no need for holding any examinations. It is a tall claim and only the advanced countries complete the learning process in classrooms without leaving room for parroting in coaching centres.

The percentage of pass in Sylhet Education Board at 85.39, higher than other general boards, brings to the fore yet another unpleasant fact. Examinees there appeared for only three subjects and they obtained scores on the basis of their SSC results. Similarly, under the Bangladesh Madrasha Education Board and the Bangladesh Technical Education Board have the highest and second highest pass rate at 93.40 and 88.90 per cent respectively as against the average pass rate of 75.56 per cent for the general education boards. No one will claim that teaching and talent-wise those two boards are better than the general education boards. These and other issues bedevil the education system in the country. While reforming education, such issues warrant a close look for streamlining.