The 2025 SSC and equivalent examination results have sent shockwaves through Bangladesh, with a staggering 14.59 per cent drop in the national pass rate to 68.45 per cent, the lowest in years.
Behind this “disastrous” outcome, as educators are calling it, lies a single culprit: mathematics.
Across most of the 11 education boards, abysmal math scores have dragged down overall performance, exposing deep-rooted flaws in how the subject is taught and learned.
As students and parents grapple with the fallout, the results spark a broader reckoning about Bangladesh’s education system and its struggle to conquer the “fear of math.”
The numbers tell a grim story. Barishal Board recorded the lowest pass rate at 56.38 per cent, with 44 out of every 100 students failing overall – largely due to a math pass rate of just 64.62 per cent. Mymensingh Board fared slightly better at 58.22 per cent, but its math pass rate of 64.27 per cent mirrored Barishal’s woes.
Dhaka, Cumilla, Dinajpur, and Madrasa boards hovered around 70 per cent in math, with pass rates of 75.14 per cent, 72.01 per cent, 71.35 per cent, and 79.73 per cent, respectively, yet their overall results remained “unsatisfactory,” per board officials.
In contrast, boards like Rajshahi (77.63 per cent overall, 86.52 per cent in math), Jashore (85.02 per cent in math), and Technical Education (88.72 per cent in math) shone, proving that strong math performance lifts all boats.
“Math has been a persistent Achilles’ heel,” a former Dhaka Education Board chairman told Jago News, noting that while students excelled in English and ICT this year, math scores plummeted. “Many passed math but missed GPA-5 due to poor marks. The fear of math hasn’t been addressed.”
He pointed to a flawed teaching approach, where rote memorization trumps problem-solving. “Teachers tell students to memorise formulas for a pass, but when exam questions deviate, students falter. They’re unprepared to think critically.”
The math debacle has hit hardest in rural boards like Barishal and Mymensingh, where structural gaps exacerbate the problem.
A 2024 Education Ministry report highlights that rural schools often lack trained math teachers, with 30 per cent of secondary math positions vacant in Barishal.
Students in these areas, navigating waterbodies and economic hardship, face additional barriers, as seen in recent Noakhali school closures due to waterlogging.
Urban centres like Dhaka and Rajshahi, home to “traditional” institutions with better resources, consistently outperform rural boards, a disparity the Dhaka Education Board chairman, Professor Dr. Khandokar Ehsanul Kabir, attributed to geographic and institutional differences in a July 10 press briefing.
Yet, even in Dhaka, only 75.14 per cent passed math, far below expectations for a metropolitan hub.
The Technical Education Board’s success, with an 88.72 per cent math pass rate, suggests vocational training’s emphasis on practical application could offer a model for reform.
Educators argue that the crisis demands a systemic overhaul. “From primary school, we must teach math as problem-solving, not memorisation,” the former chairman urged. “Students need to practice diverse problems to build confidence.”
Proposals include teacher training programmes, interactive math curricula, and digital tools like Khan Academy, which some Dhaka schools have piloted with success.
However, funding remains a hurdle, with the education budget stagnant at 2.1 per cent of GDP, among South Asia’s lowest, per UNESCO.
As Bangladesh grapples with its math meltdown, the 2025 SSC results are a wake-up call. Without bold reforms to teaching, infrastructure, and equity, the fear of math—and its devastating impact—will continue to haunt the nation’s youth.