Behind the low pass rates: Schools where no SSC candidate made it through

For some schools in Khulna, Satkhira, Rajshahi, Naogaon and Joypurhat, there was no celebration after this year's SSC results, because not a single student passed.

In several other institutions, almost the entire batch failed, exposing a stark gap between headline pass rates and the reality inside some schools.

At least 10 secondary schools across the two education boards recorded zero pass rates this year. Several Dakhil madrasas in Khulna also produced similarly dismal results.

The results have prompted education officials to seek explanations and warn that poorly performing institutions will face greater scrutiny.

No student makes the cut

Under the Jashore Education Board,  11 schools saw zero pass, the worst results came from several institutions in Khulna and Satkhira.

At Katenga Secondary School in Dumuria, all four SSC candidates failed. At Asma Sarwar Islamic Secondary School in Khulna city, neither of the two candidates passed.

The situation was even more severe at some madrasas in Koyra.

All 20 candidates from MM Daruchchunnah Dakhil Madrasa failed. At Narayanpur Women's Dakhil Madrasa, 13 of 14 candidates failed, while 25 of 26 candidates from Koyra Women's Ayesha Women's Dakhil Madrasa were unsuccessful.

Satkhira also saw four schools record zero passes.

All seven candidates from Satkhira Night Secondary School failed. Four candidates each from Godara Secondary School in Assasuni, Baburabad Dhapukhali Secondary School in Debhata and Saheb Ali Siddiq Gazi Secondary School in Shyamnagar also failed.

Satkhira District Education Officer Alamgir Kabir said officials contacted the institutions after learning about the results.

"The heads of the institutions mentioned problems with teaching and other issues. These institutions will be brought under accountability and monitoring will be strengthened," he said.

Same picture under Rajshahi board

The problem is not confined to the Jashore board.

Five schools under the Rajshahi Education Board recorded zero passes this year. Together, 41 students sat for the SSC examination from these institutions, but none passed.

Three of the schools are in Rajshahi, while Naogaon and Joypurhat each have one.

At Amrail High School in Mohonpur, all 13 candidates failed. At Pakri Girls' High School in Godagari and Banayapara High School in Bagha, all six candidates at each school were unsuccessful.

In Naogaon's Pailanpur High School, all nine candidates failed, while all four candidates from Shiratti United High School in Joypurhat's Panchbibi also failed.

Rajshahi Education Board examination controller Prof Ifrat Zerin said the board would warn the institutions.

According to her, the board had previously managed to bring the number of zero-pass schools down to none.

Good district numbers hide bad institutional results

The failures are particularly striking in Khulna, which otherwise performed best among districts under the Jashore board.

Of 20,739 candidates from 393 institutions in Khulna, 14,421 passed, giving the district a pass rate of 69.54%, the highest under the board.

Jashore ranked second, with 15,118 of 21,909 candidates passing.

Jashore Education Board examination controller Prof SM Hossain Ali attributed the overall weaker results partly to poor performance in English and mathematics.

But the zero-pass schools reveal a problem that district-level averages cannot capture.

A school can be counted within a relatively successful district while an entire group of its students receives failing grades. In some institutions, the problem is not marginal performance, it is a complete failure to produce a single successful candidate.

The authorities have said they will increase monitoring and seek explanations from the worst-performing institutions.

However, a total of 312 educational institutions across Bangladesh have recorded no successful candidates in SSC and equivalent examinations this year.

The bigger question is whether that scrutiny will translate into improvements in teaching quality, student attendance and institutional management – or whether the same schools will appear on next year's results sheet with another cohort failing to cross the finish line.