SSC Results Reflect Merit Through Stricter Assessment

The 2026 SSC, Dakhil and equivalent examinations recorded a 19-year low pass rate of 62.25%, with 1,138,877 students passing out of 1,829,485 examinees. The number of GPA-5 achievers also fell to 116,676. The decline followed full-syllabus examinations, stricter evaluation of written answers and tougher grading standards introduced during the 2024 political transition to better reflect students’ actual merit.

Widespread failures in mathematics and English reduced the number of schools achieving a 100% pass rate to 669, while the number of zero-pass schools rose to 312. Education Minister Dr. A. N. M. Ehsanul Hoque Milan supported the results, announcing that students could apply for full script re-examinations from August 11 to August 17.

Female students outperformed male students across all nine general education boards, recording a 67.91% pass rate and accounting for more GPA-5 achievements than boys, at 59.73%. Prof. Dr. Syed Akteruzzaman, president of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee, said the results exposed significant learning gaps, particularly in fundamental subjects. He stressed that instead of focusing on higher pass rates, authorities should prioritise improving instructional quality and strengthening students’ basic skills.