The Primary School Certificate (PSC) final exams will be held on November 22.
The number of girl students in the exam has been steadily increasing since 2009, compared with their boy counterparts. This year, the number of girl examinees exceeds boy students by 235,953.
The attendance and success rate of girl students has also been higher than that of boy students over the last six years. However, the total number of men has also been increasing.
This year, 3,254,514 examinees will take the PSC and Ebtedayee public examinations for the seventh and sixth times, respectively, said a source in the primary and mass education ministry.
A total of 2,945,063 examinees will write the PSC exams. Of them, 135,655 are boy and 1,592,508 girl.
In all, 305,451 examinees will take the Ebtedayee exams. Of them, 160,561 are boy and 144,890 girl.
Although there were fewer girl examinees in the Ebtedayee exam than their boy counterparts, the number of girl examinees was higher in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
The number of women has been higher in the PSC terminal exams since it began in 2009. The number of girl examinees was 1,072,325, while there were 907,570 boy students that year. The corresponding figures were 1,149,655 and 1,007,066 in 2010, 1,249,693 and 1,066,828 in 2011, 1,435,209 and 1,206,694 in 2012, 1,423,713 and 1,215,332 in 2013, and 1,506,465 and 1,282,079 in 2014.
Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), said the number of women in PSC has been increasing because of the stipend, school meals and growing awareness. “When parents see their neighbour’s daughter going to school, they want to send their daughter to school as well. Even poor families want their daughters to get education now,” she added.
Regarding boy students, she said the number is increasing, too, but sometimes they have to drop out due to poverty or to take up family jobs.
“Youths of this age get involved in family professions, especially in Narsingdi and other areas. They don’t get a stipend, which is a paltry amount in any case. It won’t attract boys,” she added.
However, she feels that stipend should be offered to boys, too, especially in the coastal and hilly areas.
Primary and mass education minister Mostafizur Rahman said at a press conference at his office in the secretariat yesterday that they have made elaborate preparations to hold the PSC and equivalent exams. He said the number examinees has increased by 1.98 lakh compared with last year’s 3,095,321.