Commendable SSC exam results

We are happy to see that the results of this year's secondary school certificate (SSC) exams have surpassed that of last year's, with a pass rate of 88.7 percent. As many as 96,769 students received GPA-5 which, by all means, is a significant achievement. What set this year's results apart was students' smashing success in mathematics – a subject in which the previous class had fared poorly. We are heartened to note that the education ministry and schools have put special efforts towards ensuring that students shed the practice of learning their lessons by rote instead of internalising them. The outstanding results are a testament to what our students can achieve if only we put more emphasis towards enhancing the quality of education and exploring creative means of imparting knowledge. 

It is also inspiring that as many as 99 percent of students from Underprivileged Children's Educational Programmes (Ucep) have achieved GPA-5, which goes to show that, given the opportunity and encouragement, children from marginalised section can break all barriers. 

It is, however, disheartening that the poor performers were from 875 schools mostly located in the rural areas. Less than 50 percent students from rural schools passed the SSC and equivalent examinations for the third consecutive year, while the pass rate of madrasa students, who come from relatively poorer backgrounds, have also declined. Despite the poor performance of rural students in the past, we wonder what the ministry is doing to increase the number of skilled teachers, libraries, labs and overall academic environment in these schools. We must take cognizance of this urban-rural divide, and ensure equal quality education to all students so that no one is left behind in our pursuit of academic excellence.