The overall pass rate in this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations has fallen to 62.25%, the lowest level since 2021, continuing a sharp downward trend in recent years.
The latest figure is 4.08 percentage points lower than last year’s 66.33%, according to data from the Ministry of Education and the respective education boards.
Among the nine general education boards, the average pass rate stood at **64.05%**, down from 68.04% last year. The Technical Education Board recorded a pass rate of **58.20%**, compared with 73.63% in 2025, while the Madrasah Education Board posted 55.49%, down from 68.90%.
The number of students achieving **GPA-5 also declined significantly**. A total of 116,676 students secured the highest grade across all 11 boards, compared with 139,032 last year, 182,129 in 2024 and 183,578 in 2023.
The latest results mark a continued decline from the record **93.58% pass rate in 2021**, when 183,340 students achieved GPA-5 under a shortened syllabus following a 542-day pandemic-related school closure.
The pass rate fell to 87.44% in 2022, 80.39% in 2023, 83.04% in 2024 and 68.45% in 2025 before reaching 62.25% this year.
Dhaka Education Board Chairman Syed Akhtaruzzaman attributed the decline partly to stricter examination procedures. He said the entire examination process was placed under close surveillance this year, including the use of CCTV cameras and measures to prevent unfair practices.
According to him, students who studied regularly were able to perform well, while those with gaps in preparation struggled under the stricter examination environment.
Educationist and Brac University Professor Emeritus Dr Manzoor Ahmed, however, said the decline could have multiple causes, including changes in examination supervision, learning opportunities and the academic environment.
He stressed the need for regular, data-driven research to identify the actual reasons behind fluctuations in examination results.
“Simply concluding that the pass rate has fallen without analysing changes in examination management, supervision and students’ learning opportunities would be incorrect,” he said, adding that the causes should be determined through evidence-based analysis.
