An aggregate of 293 educational institutions have registered a zero-pass rate in this year's Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations, indicating a rise of 91 institutions relative to the preceding year.

No candidates from these 293 institutions cleared the examinations, stated Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon while declaring the results on Saturday at the conference room of the Secondary and Higher Education Division at the Secretariat.

Last year, the figure of institutions with a zero-pass rate stood at 202.

A total of 1,240,798 students from 9,390 educational institutions appeared for this year's HSC and equivalent examinations.