Exam pass rates in Arakan State reach new highs after three years

By Thet Naing 08 Jun 2019

Thet Naing | DMG

8 June, Sittwe

The matriculation examination pass rate in Arakan State is the highest it’s been since 2017, according to the figures released by Arakan State Education Office.

The exam pass rate this year is 23.97 percent, 2.52 pc higher than last year’s rate of 21.45 pc.

The education department in Arakan State started a plan to eliminate cheating on matriculation exams in 2017, but surprisingly the exam pass rate decreased that year. However, it rose in 2018.

“One of the reasons for the rise of the passing rate is the department’s attempt to stop cheating on exams. Most students are tempted to cheat on exams. When students are enticed by the idea of cheating on tests their genuine ability to take exams correctly decreases. However, when they know they cannot rely cheating strategies, they try harder to successfully complete their tests. So, their pass rate goes up,” said U Tun Myint Thein, a private school teacher from Sittwe.

Unfortunately, exam cheating is still practiced in the region, said Ko Naing Linn, owner of Ahlinthit private high school in Sittwe.

“Exam cheating does not totally disappear here. I think the Education Department will see a decline in cheating in the future if it makes more of an effort to stop cheating. In other regions, the unscrupulous behavior among students taking exams has decreased significantly,” he said.

Meanwhile, private high schools and boarding schools have become popular in Arakan State and it is one of the reasons of increasing pass rates.

In Arakan State, more than 40,000 students took matriculation exams in 2019. Some of them passed the exam with distinction: 16 students got six distinctions, 22 students got five distinctions, 26 students got four distinctions, 47 students got three distinctions, 144 students got two distinctions and 629 students got one distinction.