Can one go abroad to study after passing SSC? How important is the SSC result of Bangladesh when going abroad? Or do you have to go there and get admitted to a lower class again? This is a question that many students and parents are asking now.
Comilla student Zisan Chowdhury is also looking for answers to such questions. He passed his SSC a few days ago. After the results were released, he is also considering studying abroad in addition to securing admission to higher secondary school and choosing a college.
The trend of going from one country to another for higher education is not new. However, this trend has increased in recent years. Once, most Bangladeshi students used to go abroad for postgraduate or PhD studies. Now, the trend of going abroad is increasing even among secondary and higher secondary level students.
According to UNESCO’s recently released ‘Higher Education Global Trends Report’, the number of Bangladeshi students going abroad for higher education has almost tripled in the last two decades. The movement of international students in higher education has increased not only in Bangladesh but also around the world.
In this situation, the interest of students and parents in studying abroad has also increased. Especially after the release of the SSC exam results, many are wondering how useful these results are for Bangladesh in higher education abroad.
BBC Bangla sought answers to these questions by speaking to a few students studying abroad, their guardians, and consultants and researchers working on higher education abroad.
How much is the value of secondary school results abroad?
Pushpita Haque, a student from Bangladesh, went to England after completing her O-Levels in English. After completing her A-Levels there, she got the opportunity to enroll in a university.
On the other hand, Anisur Rahman Surel went to Australia from Bangladesh after passing HSC. Before getting admission in the university there, he had to take the English language proficiency test IELTS. His guardian Momena Sarkar said that SSC and HSC results also gained importance in admission.
Experts say that SSC or Madhyamik results are not completely worthless when it comes to studying abroad. However, they are usually not the main determinant.
In the United States, Australia, Canada, and various European countries, it is mandatory to complete 12 years of schooling before higher education. In the case of Bangladesh, these 12 years of education usually extend up to HSC.
Therefore, if someone goes to study abroad after completing SSC, there is usually no opportunity to get admitted directly to a university. He has to get admitted to a foundation course or diploma program in the respective country. In the case of students who have completed O-level in English medium, it may be necessary to go there and complete A-level.
Tamanna Toma gave advice to students interested in studying abroad. She said that more applications are accepted from students who have completed O-levels in English medium than from Bangladeshi students who have studied secondary in Bengali medium.
Tamanna Tama said that some countries, such as Malaysia, offer foundation courses. On the other hand, some universities in Australia and New Zealand offer opportunities for admission to the bachelor’s level through a one-year foundation course.
According to him, if a student wants to get admission in a foreign university at the undergraduate level after passing HSC, the SSC result is also taken into consideration. In this case, there is a certain minimum score or benchmark. The student has to meet it. In countries where Bangladeshi students tend to go, institutions in those countries want to see at least 60 percent marks.
Tamanna Toma believes that it is a good idea to decide to go abroad after completing higher secondary education. However, along with certificates and language skills, financial capacity is also important.
Why are SSC results displayed?
According to experts, foreign universities and assessment agencies generally take SSC results into account to verify three things.
First, the continuity of education. It is checked whether there is any break or ‘gap’ in a student’s education. In this case, the SSC certificate serves as an important document.
Secondly, the student’s academic progress. It is seen whether the results are getting better or worse over time. For example, if the GPA in SSC is 3.50, in HSC 4.50 and in graduation 3.75, an upward trend is seen in the results. This can be considered positive.
Third, minimum qualifications. In some countries, a certain grade in SSC is mandatory for admission to foundation or diploma programs.
That is, if you want to study abroad after SSC, there are a few things that are important. You must have a good academic transcript. You may need to have good results, especially in mathematics, English, and science.
In addition, language proficiency test results such as IELTS or PTE, the absence of gaps in education, and the necessary financial capacity are also considered.
What is the importance of SSC at any stage?
According to UNESCO’s ‘Global Flow of Tertiary Level Students’ report, in 2023, about 53,000 students from Bangladesh went to 55 countries around the world for studies.
In 2022, this number was 49,151. In 2021, the number of Bangladeshi students studying abroad was 44,338.
And in 2013, 24,112 people went to study abroad. This means that the number of Bangladeshi students going to study abroad has more than doubled in the 10 years between 2013 and 2023.
If you go abroad after passing SSC, you have to adapt to the education system of the respective country through foundation or diploma courses. After that, you get the opportunity to get admitted to higher education.
However, for direct university admission, the student’s latest educational qualification is more important. If you want to go abroad from Bangladesh and get admission at the undergraduate level, then the HSC or A-level results are more important. SSC results are generally considered as supporting documents.
However, the situation is somewhat different in competitive subjects like medicine, engineering and law. Since the number of applicants in these subjects is high, the results of the students in mathematics, English and science at the secondary level may be taken into account.
On the other hand, if someone is applying for a Masters, MPhil, or PhD, the SSC or Secondary School results are of little importance.
In these cases, the student’s latest degree results, i.e. CGPA for Honours or Masters, research and work experience, publications, thesis, internships, why they want to study a particular subject and what their future plans are – these are the things that are given more importance. Language skills are also important.
Questions about education in Bangladesh
According to Professor Moninur Rashid, a teacher at the Institute of Education and Research, Dhaka University, Bangladesh’s education system has not been able to maintain international standards. Due to this, Bangladeshi students have to prove their qualifications again when they go abroad to study, even after completing their long education.
He said that exams like A-Level and O-Level have gained acceptance around the world because they are standardized. But Bangladesh’s SSC and HSC have not yet become such standardized exams. As a result, the acceptance of these exams at the international level is relatively low.
Overall, SSC results are an important document for studying abroad, but their importance is not the same at all levels. If you want to go directly to higher education abroad after SSC, you may need a foundation or diploma course. And if you want to get admission in graduation after completing HSC or A-level, the latest result is the main consideration. The importance of SSC results decreases further as you go to higher levels of higher education.
