Alim, technical pass rates hit 2-decade lows

Pass rates in this year’s Alim and higher secondary technical examinations fell to their lowest in more than two decades, with nearly 87,000 students failing under the two education boards.

The decline was also reflected in institutional performance, with 112 institutions recording zero percent pass rates, up from just 25 last year.

According to results published yesterday, the Madrasa Education Board recorded a pass rate of 61.07 percent, down from 75.61 percent last year, while the Technical Education Board posted 49.43 percent, compared with 62.67 percent in 2025.

An analysis of data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) shows that the Alim pass rate was the lowest since 2004, when it stood at 40.64 percent. The technical pass rate was the lowest since 2002, when it was 44.12 percent.

Together, the boards recorded 86,832 unsuccessful candidates, up by 27,207 from last year, accounting for nearly a third of the additional failures nationwide.

In 2023, the pass rates under the Madrasa and Technical boards were 90.75 percent and 91.25 percent, respectively.

Prof Khondaker Mohammad Sadequr Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board, cited declining classroom attendance as a major concern.

He said students’ growing dependence on private tuition, often focused on selected topics, could leave gaps in learning. Students also had to sit for examinations covering the full syllabus this year.

“The main point is that we have to bring students back to educational institutions,” he said.

He suggested debates, sports and language clubs to encourage attendance, alongside closer monitoring, particularly in classes IX to XII.

District-wise, Dhaka recorded the highest Alim pass rate at 89.20 percent and Narail the lowest at 25.59 percent. Fifteen districts recorded rates below 50 percent.

Girls outperformed boys, with pass rates of 64.90 percent and 58.10 percent, respectively. The number of GPA-5 achievers fell to 3,250 from 4,268 last year.

Under the Technical Education Board, HSC (Vocational) students performed worst, with only 2,731 of 8,371 candidates passing. The pass rate fell to 32.62 percent from 58.18 percent last year.

Teacher shortages remain a concern in technical education. In June, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon told parliament that 8,486 of the 15,844 approved teaching posts in technical education institutions were vacant. The figures cover institutions at different levels.

Of the 112 institutions where no students passed, 55 were under the madrasa board and 57 under the technical board. Last year, 25 madrasa board institutions had recorded zero pass rates, while the technical board had none.

Meanwhile, the number of institutions achieving 100 percent pass rates fell to 78 from 265 last year. The figure dropped from 196 to 52 under madrasa and from 69 to 26 under the technical board.