From Competition to Collaboration: Rethinking Public Examination Results 

Published on: June 2, 2026

A few weeks ago, as Bangladesh celebrated another round of public examination results, newspapers published lists of top performers, schools proudly shared rankings, and social media filled with congratulatory posts. Behind those celebrations, however, I found myself thinking about a different question: What does it feel like to be the student whose results become public but are not at the top?

That question reminded me of my first semester as a Ph.D. student in Education at the University of Central Florida. Coming from an arts background, I had never studied statistics before and struggled with a group assignment requiring data analysis. One member of my group completed his work within minutes. Instead of keeping his knowledge to himself or worrying that helping me might reduce his own advantage, he patiently explained every step until I understood the analysis. It was the first time I had experienced classmates treating one another not as competitors but as partners in learning. That experience was not unusual. Throughout my doctoral studies, classmates willingly shared resources, answered questions, and celebrated one another's successes. Collaboration was simply part of the learning culture.

My educational experiences in Bangladesh had often felt very different. As a student, I once learned that a classmate had approached an instructor to point out mistakes in one of my assignments. I still remember the teacher's response. Rather than praising the student, he asked why the mistakes had not been shared with me before submission so I could improve. Later, as a university faculty member, I observed similar patterns among students. When examination scores were close, some became reluctant to help classmates, spoke negatively about one another, or quietly hoped others would perform worse. These contrasting experiences led me to ask a simple question: Why did these learning environments feel so different?

One important reason, I believe, lies in how examination results are treated. In Bangladesh, as in several South Asian countries, public examination results are widely accessible. Scores, GPA rankings, and merit lists quickly become topics of discussion among families, schools, neighbors, and communities. Academic performance becomes more than personal feedback; it becomes a public measure of a student's worth. Psychologists have long explained through Social Comparison Theory that people naturally evaluate themselves by comparing their performance with others. When those comparisons become constant and highly visible, they can increase feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and rivalry rather than encouraging personal growth. Instead of asking, “What did I learn?” students may begin asking, “Did I outperform everyone else?”

Research suggests these pressures carry real consequences. A study of Indian high school students found that 63.5% reported academic stress, 66% experienced parental pressure to achieve higher grades, and more than 81% reported examination-related anxiety. The researchers also found that many parents compared their children's performance with that of the highest-scoring student in the class, unintentionally reinforcing rivalry instead of friendship. The effects extend beyond emotional well-being. When students constantly compare grades, some become reluctant to share notes, explain difficult concepts, or support classmates because helping others may seem like reducing their own competitive advantage. Even earning 95 percent can feel disappointing if someone else earns 97. Over time, classmates risk becoming rivals rather than collaborators.

My experience in American higher education offered a striking contrast. As both a graduate student and later a faculty member, I learned that student grades are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. In most circumstances, grades are confidential educational records, shared only with the student unless permission is granted. The purpose is not to reduce academic expectations but to ensure that assessment primarily serves learning rather than public comparison. This approach reflects decades of educational research. A landmark study published in Science found that strengthening students' sense of social belonging can have far-reaching effects, reducing inequalities in both academic achievement and health. Likewise, decades of pioneering research by David Johnson and Roger Johnson have shown that cooperative learning environments help students not only master academic content but also develop the social skills needed to work effectively with others. Their pioneering research and methodologies have helped educators worldwide understand the power of cooperation over competition, fostering environments where students not only learn academic content but also develop critical social skills. Together, these findings suggest that students thrive when schools cultivate belonging and collaboration rather than constant competition.

International organizations are reaching similar conclusions. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development argues that successful education systems should be evaluated not only by academic achievement but also by students' well-being, sense of belonging, and the quality of relationships they experience at school. UNESCO's Reimagining Our Futures Together likewise calls for education systems grounded in care, solidarity, reciprocity, and shared responsibility, preparing young people to solve problems together rather than compete against one another.

None of this suggests that Bangladesh should abandon examinations or stop recognizing academic excellence. Public examinations serve important administrative purposes, and high achievement deserves celebration. The real question is whether excellence requires making every student's performance public. I believe it does not. Bangladesh could begin exploring policies that protect individual examination results as confidential educational information while continuing to recognize outstanding achievement in ways that do not encourage constant comparison among every student. Such reforms would not lower standards. They would simply shift the purpose of assessment from ranking students publicly to supporting their learning privately.

Looking back, the greatest difference between my educational experiences in Bangladesh and the United States was not technology, curriculum, or teaching quality. It was the culture surrounding learning. When students no longer feel that every grade defines their public identity, they become more willing to ask questions, admit difficulties, share ideas, and celebrate one another's success. Perhaps the greatest measure of an education system is not how accurately it ranks students, but how successfully it teaches them to lift one another higher. Excellence matters. But the strongest societies are built by people who know how to compete with integrity, collaborate with generosity, and grow together.