Child marriage major cause for students’ absence in SSC exam

Child marriage identified as major reason behind SSC exam absence in Bangladesh

Child marriage remains a serious issue in Bangladesh and is now identified as one of the key reasons behind student absenteeism in this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams. According to data collected by the Dhaka Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, nearly 40 percent of the 1,203 students surveyed from among the 6,389 absentees were married before the exams. This includes both boys and girls.

Over 51 percent of these students are unlikely to return to education, while the rest said they plan to sit for the exams next year. The Dhaka Board gathered the data through schools under its jurisdiction and plans to submit a report to the Ministry of Education for necessary actions.

Nationwide, the number of students who registered for the SSC and equivalent exams this year was about 100,000 less than the previous year, marking the lowest participation in the last five years. On the first day of the exam, 26,928 students were absent under the 11 education boards, compared to 19,359 last year.

The reasons for student absence have rarely been explored in detail. In response, the Dhaka Board launched an investigation, asking schools to report on absentee students by collecting information from exam centers and contacting students or their guardians directly.

Among the 1,203 cases where data was collected, 60 percent of the absent students were from the commerce group, 23 percent from humanities, and 17 percent from science—reflecting a lower absentee rate among science students. Around 70 percent were regular candidates, while 30 percent were irregular candidates retaking exams after previous failures.

The data also shows that more than 76 percent of the absentees were from rural areas, with the rest from urban regions. Illness was cited by 24 percent of students, while 11 percent missed the exam due to lack of preparation. About 7.3 percent had started working to support their families financially. Tragically, 17 of the students had died before the exam.

Twenty-one female students missed the exams due to pregnancy. The legal marriage age in Bangladesh is 18 for girls and 21 for boys. Most SSC candidates fall below this age, indicating that these marriages qualify as child marriage.

Experts believe that the long-term impact of COVID-19, which disrupted education beginning in 2020, played a major role in increasing dropout rates. This year’s SSC batch started secondary school that same year, facing extended school closures and disruptions.

According to the UNFPA‍‍`s State of World Population 2025 report, 51 percent of girls in Bangladesh are married before 18, and 71 out of every 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 are already mothers. This places Bangladesh among the countries with the highest rates of child marriage, surpassed by only a few African nations.

Former caretaker government adviser Rasheda K Choudhury welcomed the initiative to investigate exam absenteeism, stressing that poverty and lack of security are major drivers of child marriage. She called for greater government efforts, increased investment, inter-ministerial coordination, and involvement of NGOs to address the issue effectively.

The Dhaka education board intends to formally submit its findings to the Ministry of Education, hoping the data will inform stronger policies to reduce dropout rates and prevent early marriage among students.