PM flags 'reverse gender gap' in education

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has pointed to a reversal in the traditional gender disparity in Bangladesh's education sector as female students once again surpassed their male peers in the HSC and equivalent exams.

With over 1.3 million students participating in this year's public exams, girls achieved a pass rate of 80.57 per cent, outshining boys whose pass rate stood at 76.76 per cent.

After receiving a summary of the exam results on Sunday, Hasina commended the high success rate among girls. At the same time, she stressed the need to look into the factors contributing to the underperformance of boys.

“The pass rate among girls seems to be consistently increasing. There was a time when girls were denied educational opportunities, but now they are progressing. It is essential to explore the reasons behind the lag in performance among boys."

The overall pass rate for the HSC and equivalent exams dropped to 78.64 percent in 2023, down from 85.95 per cent in the previous year. The number of female students with a GPA score of 5.0 also exceeded that of their male counterparts.

Hasina urged boys to put in extra effort to narrow the gap in pass rates. In a light-hearted remark, she acknowledged the need to balance her praise for girls to avoid upsetting boys.

"Those who didn't achieve good results or could not pass shouldn't be disheartened. Parents and teachers should be compassionate and encourage them."

The HSC exams for eight of the general education boards began on Aug 17, and continued until Sept 25. The tests for Chattogram, which were interrupted by floods, and the madrasa and technical boards began 10 days later.

Students usually get the results for the public exams within 60 days of the examinations. Traditionally, the results are published in November.

This year, exams worth a full 100 marks and lasting three hours were held for the first time after abridged syllabi and shortened question papers were instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the ICT test was still reduced to a 75-mark exam.