SECOND EDITION
MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2015
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Shraban 26, 1422, Shawwal 24, 1436
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PUBLIC UNI ADMISSION TESTS BEGIN OCT 1 PAGE 7
BGB PROPOSES SHORTTERM VISAS PAGE 6
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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 116
6 TIGER POACHERS KILLED IN ‘GUNFIGHT’ PAGE 32
Politics hurts HSC grades
PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
N U M B E R O F GPA 5 I N H S C
60,000
61,162
70,602
58,197
40,000
42,894
20,000 0
2012
2013
2014
2015
P A S S R AT E ( % ) I N H S C
80
78.33
69.60
40
74.30
50
78.67
60
75.08
70
74.28
Key indicators of the HSC examination results published yesterday are showing that students – whose schedules were put in disarray by political unrest – have performed poorly this year. The pass rate and the number of students achieving the highest grade point both saw a decline after the last few years’ upward trend. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid both said the results would have been much better had the BNP-Jamaat-led alliance not enforced violent blockades and hartals during the exams earlier this year. This year, the Higher Secondary Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations registered a 69.6% pass rate – the lowest since 2008 – compared to last year’s 78.33%. The number of students achieving the best result – Grade Point Average 5, better known as GPA 5 – also dropped drastically to 42,894, which is the lowest since 2012. Last year, as many as 70,602 students ended up getting GPA 5. As per tradition, minister Nahid, along with the chairmen of all the education boards, went to the PM’s residence Gonobhaban and handed the results over to her around 10am yesterday. The detailed results were officially made public in a media briefing at the Secretariat at 1pm. “It is a matter of regret that the BNP-Jamaat clique was engaged in committing heinous crimes like burning people to death and torching and vandalising public and private property by calling hartals and blockades during the SSC and HSC examinations,” said Sheikh Hasina.
80,000
72.78
Hossain Ovi and Syed Samiul n Ibrahim Basher Anik
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
30 20 10 0
BOARD WISE PERFORMANCE Rajshahi Sylhet Dinajpur Barisal Dhaka Chittagong Comilla Jessore
77.54% 74.57% 70.43% 70.06% 68.16% 63.49% 59.80% 46.45% 0
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100% pass in 1,133 institutions 0% pass in 35 institutions Science, Home Economics pass rate 77.66% Business studies 71.93% Humanities 57.99% Overseas students’ pass rate 89.93%, 17 GPA 5 Girls’ pass rate 70.23%, boys’ 69.04% 23,293 boys and 19,601 girls get GPA 5 ASMAUL HOQUE MAMUN/DT INFOGRAPHIC
Students ill-prepared for creative questions Hossain Ovi and n Ibrahim Shadma Malik The government blames political unrest for poor HSC results, but academics say students and teachers failed to adapt to the new creative writing questions. “The introduction of the creative writing system resulted in the poor HSC performance; students failed to understand and hence properly answer the questions. The teachers were also not able to give them a clear idea about the new method,” said Dr Syed Manzoorul Islam, professor of English at Dhaka University. “Students cut a sorry figure in the exams because of weakness in the way they learn both English and Bangla languages. Their dependence on memorisation also contributed to the pass rate debacle,” the professor said. In Dhaka board last year, when questions were not creative, an impressive 92.59% passed in English. This year, however, that has come down to 79.1%. Students who sat for the examination under the Jessore board performed the worst in English, with only 50.91% students passing in the subject. Last year, this board’s performance was a touch better at 65.07% passing in English. Prof Dr Syed Manzoorul Islam also blamed coaching centres for making students overly dependent on guide books. “There is a shortage of trained teachers. Moreover, students are adopting non-academic writing styles such as the FM method.” PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
Three Niloy murder suspects UN, EU condemn blogger under scanner Niloy killing Jamil Khan and n Mohammad Kamrul Hasan Detectives yesterday started extensive surveillance of three suspects for their involvement in the murder of Niladri Chatterjee, who was killed on Friday at his Goran flat allegedly by radical Islamists. The trio were identified based on statements of the wife of the slain secularist writer, neighbours and locals, and also by analysing the post-mortem and inquest reports. To confirm their identities, the detectives
have sent a blood-stained towel and a red T-shirt collected from the ground floor of the building to the forensic department of Dhaka Medical College for DNA testing. They also collected Niloy’s teeth from the flat and sent those for examination. Investigators said that the eight major stab injuries, found on Niloy’s body, were made by a left-handed killer. During primary investigation, the detectives also found that the email claiming responsibility for the murder was sent to PAGE 2 COLUMN 4
n UNB UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union delegation to Bangladesh have strongly denounced the vile aggression committed against Niladri Chatterjee Niloy and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban voiced deep concern over the gruesome crime and its impact on the exercise of freedom of expression in Bangladesh. He called on the government of Bangladesh to bring those responsible for the mur-
der of Niloy and the other bloggers to justice expeditiously and act to ensure that all Bangladeshis can enjoy freedom of expression and all other human rights without fear, according to UN News Centre. In another statement, the EU yesterday said: “We present to his widow and other family members our sincere condolences.” This being the fourth such savage assassination in less than six months, the intention of the perpetrators is clear – to suppress freedom of expression, it added. PAGE 2 COLUMN 1