Dismal performance by secondary level students

A few days back, I went to Murari Chand High School, Fatepur, Sunamganj to disburse stipend money to meritorious poor students. I asked them some questions just out of curiosity to know whether they were qualified for getting the stipend. I was very shocked when the students of class IX and X could not tell me which group they belonged-- science, commerce or arts/humanities! They even couldn't spell the word 'arts'!

If this is the condition of students at secondary level, it is hardly surprising that only two students got the pass marks in this year's admission test for English department at the Dhaka University.

Gopal Chandra Borman
On e-mail