A system in crisis: What HSC 2025 reveals about our education

The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) results of 2025 have exposed the weak foundation of our education system. Every number carries a human story of hope, struggle, and, all too often, disappointment. The 2025 outcomes cannot be simply interpreted as statistics; they are a reflection of our inability to align education with employability.

A Result That Rings an Alarm

More than 1.25 million students took the HSC and equivalent examinations this year, including 618,015 boys and 633,096 girls, at 2,797 centres throughout the country. Some have performed well, but it is concerning on a larger scale. The overall pass rate remains in the mid-70s, although there are significant differences among the boards.

However, it is something deeper than grades. Every year, thousands die on pieces of paper, yet they are not prepared to face the real world. Those who score worse than they should often drop out altogether. Their entry into a sluggish job market only worsens the country’s unemployment crisis, leaving these young men and women frustrated.

The Missing Link between Certificate and Competence 

In late 2024, the rate of unemployment in Bangladesh increased to 4.63 percent, implying that approximately 2.7 million individuals are unemployed. Close to 28 percent of college alumni from institutions under the National University are still jobless, and this figure has tripled over the past ten years. The better educated the young people are, the less employable many of them appear.

This irony has a cause. Schools and colleges have turned into commercial centres of certificates rather than creative hubs. Students are taken through a chain of tests, training schools, and tutoring, and they come out with degrees but few or no skills in problem-solving or adapting to change.

A Personal Reflection

Having served in the Army for decades and later in national industrial development, I have seen this problem from multiple fronts. In the Army, education meant readiness and discipline — not just passing tests but mastering responsibility. In industry, I often meet bright young graduates who struggle to operate modern machines or handle digital systems.

When foreign investors visit our economic zones, their first question is not about land or tax incentives; it is about skilled manpower. Too often, we cannot give them a confident answer. Our youth are intelligent and energetic yet poorly trained for the demands of a global economy. The bridge between academic learning and practical skill remains half built.

The Broader Implications  

a. Educated but Jobless:  

However, there are numerous graduates in search of employment opportunities, whereas the quantity of jobs offered is much lower. This has formed the new norm of under-employment whereby educated individuals have been employed on low-paying jobs.  

b. Rural–Urban Divide:  

The rural students are disadvantaged due to lack of infrastructure, the unstable internet, and lack of trained teachers. These challenges are manifested in their academic performance, which increases inequality.  

c. Social Discontent:  

The failure of the hard work to lead to opportunities leads to disappointment that leads to unrest. This can be witnessed in the protest of campuses and internet complaints of educated youths.  

d. Erosion of Values:  

A culture that is obsessed with exams promotes cut-offs rather than inquisitions. Cheating, coaching-dependency and grade-anxiety undermine the ethical principles of learning.

The Way Forward  

It is high time Bangladesh reinvents education as a national mission, and not just an administrative routine. 

a. Modernise Curriculum- abandon the rote learning and incorporate digital literacy, critical thinking, climate awareness and entrepreneurship at the secondary level.  

b. Empower Teachers- give on-going training, higher remuneration and rewards to restore teaching as a prestigious career.  

c. Connect Education and Industry- create internship streams and common training hubs within the economic zones to allow the students to have a practical experience.  

d. Encourage Technological and Vocational Destinations- render skills-based education plausible and dreamy.  

e. Secure Equity- bridge the urban-rural divide by providing digital laboratories, scholarships and internet connectivity in schools in rural areas.  

f. Redesign Assessment- integrate exams with projects, research projects and assessments based on creativity.

Now or Never: Time for Honest Reform

The current HSC scores do not indicate that the young generation has failed, but they indicate a dated system. Education has turned into a certificate race, yet it must be a route to ability and personality.

Unless we take heed of this warning, our country will face an increasingly heavy burden of educated unemployment. However, when we are visionary, brave, and caring, we can turn this moment into a pivotal one.

We shall not simply count who died and who did not today. Rather, we should recreate a system in which all students will learn to think, create, and contribute. The outcomes of tomorrow must assess growth and not grades.

Writer: Md Nazrul Islam, Former Executive Chairman, BEPZA & Executive Member (Planning & Development), BEZA