Both the pass rate and number of students attaining GPA-5 in the 2022 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations have dropped as the results were published on Wednesday.

The pass rate fell by 9.31 percent to 85.95 percent in 2022 from a record 95.26 percent in 2021 year while the number of students, who achieved GPA-5, declined by 12,887 to 176,282 from 189,169 a year earlier.

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni later outlined the highlights of the results at a media briefing at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital.

Some 1,203,407 students took part in the exams that started on November 6 after a lengthy delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a deadly flood in the country’s northeastern region. The number of examinees was 1,399,690 in 2021.

Of the total examinees, 622,796 were males and 580,611 females.

Some 84.31 percent students passed the HSC exams, 92.56 percent Alim exams and 94.41 percent students passed vocational exams.            According to the inter-education board coordinator, the pass rate in Dhaka board is 87.83 percent, Chattogram 80.5 percent, Rajshahi 81.6 percent, Cumilla 90.72 percent, Jashore 83.95 percent, Barishal 86.95 percent, Sylhet 81.4 percent, Dinajpur 79.08 percent and Mymensingh board 80.32 percent.

A total of 159,755 students attained GPA-5 in the HSC exams under nine general education boards.

In continuation of the trend set in the last couple of years, female students once again outshined their male peers in both the pass rate and number of GPA-5 in the 2022 HSC and equivalent exams.

Of the 567,865 girls who took part in the exams, 87.48 percent came out successful while the pass rate among the 609,522 boys who appeared for the tests was 84.53 percent, showing a 2.95 percent higher pass rate.

Meanwhile, 95,721 female students achieved GPA-5, up by 15,160 than their male counterparts.

Besides, no student from 50 colleges and madrasas under eight education boards had been able to come out successful in the HSC and equivalent examinations.

The HSC results showed that the number educational institutions with zero pass rate is eight in Dhaka Board, nine in Rajshahi, five in Cumilla, six in Jashore, 13 in Dinajpur, three in Mymensingh, four in Madrasah Board and two in technical education.

The number of colleges and madrasas with zero pass rate was five in 2021.