For the last five years, girls have been doing better in terms of pass rate in the HSC exams than boys, but the boys have been getting more GPA-5s. 

Yesterday’s results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations also show that fewer girls sat for the exams than boys. 

This year 73.93 percent students passed the HSC and its equivalent exams under 10 education boards, according to Inter-Education Board Coordination Subcommittee. 

The pass rate of female students was 76.44 percent while the rate of male students was 71.67 percent. 

This year 47,286 achieved GPA-5s and of them 24,576 were boys and 22,710 were girls. 

Academics said girls were more attentive and had joined more classes for getting stipend, which paid off. 

They claimed that boys got preference in getting additional support in the forms of private tuitions, which allowed them to get more GPA-5s. 

“Girls are spending more time in studies than boys. They need to attend 70 percent classes to get stipends. This is the reason for their increased pass rate,” said former Dhaka education board chairman Fahima Khatun. 

“In the adolescent years, boys become more adventurous and their concentration falls short,” said Fahima, also former director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education. 

In 2015, the overall pass rate was 69.60 percent. The pass rate of girls was 70.23 percent and boys 69.04 percent. The same year, 42,894 students achieved GPA-5s and of them 23,293 were boys and 19,601 girls. 

Fahima said a large section of parents prefer boys to have additional education support. 

Campaign for Popular Education Deputy Director KM Enamul Hoque echoed Fahima but said the parents’ attitude was changing in some areas. 

Chief of Inter-Education Board Coordination Subcommittee, Prof Ziaul Haque said he could not instantly give reasons as to why girls’ did better than boys in pass rates and the opposite in GPA-5 achieved. 

“We will carry out a study to know the reason,” said Ziaul, also Dhaka Education Board chairman.