|| Speciakn Correspondent: Bangladesh's Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations have recorded their lowest pass rate and number of GPA-5 achievers in six years, raising fresh concerns over learning outcomes, classroom teaching and the overall quality of secondary education.The combined pass rate across the country's 11 education boards fell to 52.12% in 2026, down 6.71 percentage points from 58.83% last year. Meanwhile, the number of students achieving the highest grade, GPA-5, dropped to 40,084 from 69,097 in 2025.The results, published yesterday, show that 646,685 students passed out of 1,270,583 candidates who appeared for examinations under the general, madrasa and technical education boards.Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon described this year's results as unsatisfactory, saying shortcomings in students' learning had become evident in their examination performance. He said the government would identify weaknesses in the learning process and take necessary measures to address them.A comparison of HSC and equivalent examination results from 2021 to 2026 shows a sustained downward trend in the overall pass rate, with particularly sharp declines over the past two years.In 2021, the pass rate stood at 95.26%. It fell to 85.95% in 2022, 78.64% in 2023 and 77.78% in 2024.The decline accelerated in 2025, when the pass rate dropped to 58.83%. This year, it fell further to 52.12%.Overall, the pass rate has declined by 43.14 percentage points since 2021.The number of students securing GPA-5 has also declined considerably over the past six years.In 2021, a record 189,169 students achieved GPA-5. The figure declined in 2022 before falling to 92,595 in 2023.It rose again to 145,911 in 2024 but dropped sharply to 69,097 in 2025.This year, only 40,084 students secured the highest grade, 29,013 fewer than last year.Compared with 2024, the number of GPA-5 achievers has fallen by 105,827.The simultaneous decline in the pass rate and the number of GPA-5 achievers indicates a significant shift in examination outcomes. However, further analysis is needed to determine the extent to which changes in assessment standards, teaching quality and students' preparedness contributed to the decline.This year's results show that female students outperformed their male counterparts in terms of the overall pass rate.Of the students who passed, 356,528 were female and 290,157 were male, meaning 66,371 more girls passed than boys.However, boys maintained a slight lead in the number of GPA-5 achievers, with 20,363 male students securing the highest grade, compared with 19,721 female students.Institution-level results have also highlighted disparities in educational performance across the country.While 139 institutions achieved a 100% pass rate, 293 recorded no successful candidates this year.The number of institutions with a zero pass rate increased by 91 compared with last year.The results have raised questions about classroom teaching, teacher availability, institutional management and students' academic preparedness, particularly at institutions where none of the candidates managed to pass.Speaking at the results publication event, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon said the overall performance was unsatisfactory.He acknowledged that the decline in the pass rate from last year was unacceptable and pointed to shortcomings in the learning process."The learning gaps among students have become evident in the results. We need to identify where the weaknesses lie and take necessary measures," he said.The minister said the government had a responsibility to reassess existing teaching methods and determine the corrective steps needed.He also expressed concern over possible errors in the published results, saying a review would help establish whether there had been any irregularities or inaccuracies.Emphasising the need for greater transparency in future examinations, Milon said the prime minister wanted examination scripts to be properly evaluated to ensure that no student was unfairly assessed or deprived of their deserved results.Prime Minister's Education Adviser Mahdi Amin presented various statistical aspects of the results at the publication event.