All 13 students who appeared for the 2026 Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination from Amrail High School in Mohanpur upazila of Rajshahi have failed, raising questions about the quality of teaching and overall management of the institution.
The school's headteacher, Sheikh Md Munzur Rahman, has also been accused by several colleagues of regularly consuming drugs. They alleged that his alleged substance use affected his duties, including the registration of students.
Following the school's dismal SSC result, Fahima Binte Akhter, Mohanpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and president of the school's ad hoc managing committee, issued a show-cause notice to the headteacher on Tuesday afternoon (August 11).
According to the notice, 13 students from the school appeared in the 2026 SSC examination, but none passed. At the same time, the school has 14 MPO-listed teachers and employees who regularly receive government salaries and allowances.
The notice described the 100 percent failure rate as "extremely disappointing and concerning" for Mohanpur upazila.
The headteacher has been asked to submit a satisfactory explanation within three working days as to why none of the 13 students could pass. The notice also warned that if the explanation is not satisfactory, the authorities may recommend cancellation of the school's MPO status to the higher authorities.
Located about one kilometre from Mohanpur upazila headquarters, Amrail High School was brought under the MPO scheme in 2000. The school currently has 138 students and 16 teachers and employees, according to school sources. Its infrastructure and other facilities are also said to be satisfactory.
However, most of the students who sat for this year's SSC examination failed in mathematics and English.
Teachers allege headteacher consumes drugs
Abdul Wahab, assistant headteacher of the school, alleged that Munzur Rahman regularly consumes intoxicating substances.
"He does not consume drinks after coming to school. Rather, he comes to school after consuming them outside. We have repeatedly asked him to stop, but he did not listen," Wahab said.
Mathematics teacher Janab Ali also made similar allegations against the headteacher.
According to Ali, the headteacher had allegedly forgotten to complete the registration of students of Classes VIII and IX. When the students came to know about the issue, many stopped attending school, fearing that they would not be able to sit for the SSC examination.
Ali alleged that the headteacher later rushed to the education board and completed the registration of the students in January 2026, apparently fearing consequences for his job.
"Later, a meeting with the guardians was arranged, but the students could not be brought back to regular classes. This ultimately affected their preparation and resulted in the poor SSC performance," Ali claimed.
He said the school's previous results had been good and that there had been no such mass failure in previous years.
Ali further alleged that teachers had repeatedly asked the headteacher to stop consuming drugs. He claimed that even an attempt was made to resolve the matter by involving the headteacher's family.
"When that did not work, we submitted a complaint to the then UNO along with Golam Mostofa Babu, the then president of the school managing committee and upazila Krishak Dal president," Ali said.
However, these allegations could not be independently verified.
Attempts were made to contact headteacher Sheikh Md Munzur Rahman over the phone for his comment. He did not answer the calls.
Reports had earlier been published in the national English daily The Daily Industry and Rajshahi-based newspaper Sonar Desh regarding allegations against the headteacher involving drug use and negligence in performing his duties.
Another school records 100pc failure
Amrail High School is not the only institution in the area to record a 100 percent failure rate this year.
At Pakri Secondary Girls' School in Godagari upazila, all six students who appeared for the SSC examination also failed.
The school, which was brought under the MPO scheme up to Class VIII in 2004, currently has 16 teachers and employees.
"We cannot understand how this happened. We have never had such a poor result before," said SM Akhtar Rizvi, headteacher of Pakri Secondary Girls' School.
He said the school usually did not have such a high failure rate in English. However, he acknowledged that the English teacher at the institution was relatively weak.
He also said the school's teachers had not been recruited through the Non-Government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA); rather, they were appointed through the school's governing committee.
Rajshahi sees worst SSC result in seven years
The poor results at the two institutions come amid a significant decline in the overall SSC performance of the Rajshahi Education Board.
This year, five institutions under the board recorded a zero pass rate, while the number of institutions achieving a 100 percent pass rate fell to 35.
The board's overall pass rate stood at around 63 percent, reportedly the lowest in seven years. The number of students achieving GPA-5 also declined.
Education officials and other stakeholders say the widening gap between urban and rural institutions is a growing concern.
They believe that improving classroom teaching, ensuring students' regular attendance, increasing parental awareness and reducing dependence on coaching centres could help narrow the gap.
The education board has also said that it is focusing on quality rather than simply increasing the number of students who pass.
"At present, what the government wants is quality education, not quantitative education. If quality improves, quantity will increase as well," said Professor Efrat Zerin, controller of examinations at the Rajshahi Education Board.
Education officials said regular monitoring of classroom teaching and taking action against institutions that fail to maintain proper academic standards are necessary to improve results.
The case of Amrail High School has therefore raised broader questions about whether poor SSC results should be viewed solely as a failure of students, or whether the academic environment, teacher performance, student attendance, registration procedures and institutional management should also be examined.
