Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon said action will be taken against educational institutions that recorded zero passes in this year’s SSC and equivalent examinations. He made the remarks at a results-announcement press conference at the Education Ministry conference room on Monday morning. Milon said the number of schools with zero passes was three to four times higher during 2001 to 2006 and had gradually declined, adding that authorities would draw on prior experience in taking action against such institutions.

He said the overall pass rate in the SSC and equivalent examinations fell by about 6 percentage points from the previous year, while the number of GPA-5 recipients declined by 22,356. However, he said candidates received the marks they deserved and described the results as good. He added that a new legal provision allows every student to seek a review of their answer scripts, with a review committee able to correct errors or adjust marks where a student did not receive what they were entitled to.

Zero-pass institutions rose to 57 across nine general education boards, from 48 a year earlier. Under the madrasa board, the number increased from 86 to 226, while the technical board had 29 such institutions after all its institutions recorded passes last year. Professor Syed Akhtaruzzaman said higher failures in English, mathematics and Bangla reduced the overall pass rate.