Govt plans skills training, jobs for students with poor SSC results

The government is planning to provide technical training, language education and employment opportunities to students who failed to achieve their expected results in this year's Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations, Prime Minister's Adviser Dr Mahdi Amin said on Saturday.

The government is also considering providing seed funding to students with promising business ideas to help them launch small businesses, he said while addressing the Challenged Students Convention 2026 as the chief guest at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka.

The Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) and Plan International Bangladesh jointly organised the event, chaired by CAMPE Executive Director Rasheda K. Choudhury.

Mahdi Amin said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had instructed the Ministry of Education to prepare a list of students who failed to achieve satisfactory SSC results. The government would then explore training and employment opportunities based on their interests and skills.

“Success in the SSC examinations does not necessarily mean success in life, just as failure in the SSC examinations does not mean failure in life,” he said.

He said a student might perform well in seven out of eight subjects but achieve poor results in one. It would be unfair to judge the student's entire future based on performance in a single subject.

Some students might excel in sports or cultural activities, while others could demonstrate innovation in science or show potential through business ideas, he said.

“Poor results in one subject do not erase a student's other talents, creativity, or intellectual abilities,” he added.

Emphasising that a person's potential should not be judged solely by formal education or academic certificates, the adviser urged students to remain confident and move forward with faith in their abilities.

He said around 690,000 students had failed to achieve their desired results in this year's SSC examinations, adding that development would not be meaningful unless their prospects improved.

“Development in Bangladesh cannot be meaningful if we fail to change the fortunes of 690,000 students,” he said.

Mahdi Amin said the Ministry of Education was holding discussions with the chairmen and secretaries of all education boards to prepare a specific action plan for the students, following the prime minister's directive.

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Under the proposed initiative, some students could receive training at technical training centres, while others might enrol in technical and vocational education programmes.

The government is also considering language training to help students access overseas employment opportunities. The languages under consideration include Japanese, Korean and Chinese, as well as those spoken in various Eastern European countries.

Mahdi Amin said three to six months of language training alongside technical skills development could improve students' employment prospects abroad.

He stressed the importance of acquiring practical skills rather than relying solely on SSC or Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) qualifications.

The adviser also said discussions were underway on whether students who failed individual subjects could retake those examinations without waiting a full year.

He said discussions had been held with teacher and parent representatives on the possibility of allowing students to sit for examinations in the subjects they had failed within three months.

The proposed measures aim to create alternative educational and career pathways for students, enabling them to pursue opportunities suited to their skills and interests, he added.