Two colleges in Kushtia have failed to secure a single pass in this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations, despite having a combined 27 teachers and 18 students appearing for the exams.

Jagonnathpur Ideal College in Kumarkhali upazila had only three HSC candidates this year. Two remained absent, while the only student who appeared failed in English.

Established in 2004, the college has 14 teachers but has yet to receive Monthly Pay Order (MPO) status, under which the government provides salary support to teachers and employees of eligible educational institutions.

Mujibar Rahman, principal of Jagonnathpur Ideal College, said attracting students had become a challenge, with teachers often having to visit nearby villages to encourage enrolment.

“The college is located near a char area. When we visit villages to encourage students to enrol, some are busy harvesting paddy, while others ask us to come later,” he said.

A similar situation has been reported at Haji Nurul Islam College in Mirpur upazila, where none of the eight students who appeared for this year’s HSC examinations passed.

Established in 2000, the college has 13 teachers and also lacks MPO status. Of its 15 registered candidates this year, seven remained absent, while the remaining eight failed to pass.

Shariful Islam, principal of Haji Nurul Islam College, said teachers had been working without salaries for 26 years.

“We have been working at this college for 26 years without any remuneration. We have never received a salary. This year has been a major setback for us,” he said.

He added that teachers often provide financial assistance to encourage students who have dropped out to return to education, but none of the candidates who appeared this year managed to pass.

Meanwhile, the overall HSC pass rate under the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Jashore, stood at 44.92% in 2026.

Of the 112,791 students who appeared for the examinations, 50,668 passed, while 3,228 secured GPA-5.

Last year, the board recorded a pass rate of 50.20%, with 5,995 students achieving GPA-5.

Both the pass rate and the number of GPA-5 achievers declined compared with the previous year.