United News of Bangladesh

The aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to ripple through Feni’s education sector, with the number of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinees plunging by nearly 13,500 in just four years – a drop of 36.3 percent that has alarmed stakeholders. According to education office data, 37,085 students took part in the examinations in 2022, but the number has declined since then, falling to 23,609 in 2026. Officials attributed the downward trend largely to the pandemic period, when examinations were suspended and educational institutions remained closed for a prolonged period. They said many students dropped out during that time and later got involved in child labour or other work. Although schools reopened, no effective initiative was taken to bring the dropouts back to classrooms, they added. Data analysis shows that in 2023, the number of examinees dropped sharply to 24,600 from 37,085 the previous year. In 2024, the number was 24,555. Although the number increased to 29,609 in 2025, it drastically fell to 23,609 in 2026. The decline is creating concern among stakeholders over the overall state of education in the district. Alamgir Hossain, General Secretary of the District Teachers’ Association, said many parents turned towards Qawmi madrasahs after the pandemic, while education authorities did not take adequate steps to bring students back to mainstream schools. District education officers said a total of 23,609 students are participating in this year’s SSC, Dakhil and vocational examinations across 36 centres in Feni. Of them, 14,943 students are sitting for SSC examination at 21 centres, 5,977 for Dakhil examinations at nine centres, and 1,169 for vocational examinations at six centres. District Education Officer Mohammad Shafiullah said the decline is partly due to a trend of families sending students abroad or engaging them in work before completing SSC, especially in a migration-prone district like Feni. He added that many students from the 2020 cohort were in primary school during the pandemic and later dropped out after schools reopened. Feni Deputy Commissioner Monira Haque said prolonged school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant dropout rates, the effects of which are still visible. She also cited economic and social factors, parental preference for Qawmi and Nurani madrasah education, and migration tendencies as reasons behind the declining number of examinees. The DC said the administration will review the situation to determine whether the overall education rate is also declining, and take necessary steps accordingly.