SSC exams begin

Students take SSC exams at Ideal School and College at Motijheel in Dhaka yesterday morning. Photo: STAR

A total of 7,723 candidates were absent on the first day of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations while 35 students and two invigilators were expelled for resorting to unfair means.
A man was also arrested for impersonating a candidate yesterday.
Eight education boards, one madrasa education board and one technical education board are conducting the month-long SSC, Dakhil and SSC vocational examinations for 2013.
Candidates of SSC and SSC vocational exams appeared in Bangla 1st paper while Dakhil candidates in Bangla exam yesterday.
This year, a total of 13,03,203 examinees from 27,073 educational institutes registered for the exams across the country.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid urged the political parties to act responsibly in case of holding their programme during the examinations.
"The examinees are our children and I hope the political parties will not hold any programme that turns out to be a setback for the children," he told reporters while visiting Azimpur Govt Girls School in the capital.
The minister sought cooperation from all concerned to help end the exams fairly and peacefully.
Apart from having the highest number of expelled students, Madrasa Board had the highest number of absentees yesterday.
A total of 21 students were expelled while 3,801 candidates did not take the exam from this board alone, according to the control room of education ministry.
Dhaka Board stood second highest in terms of absentees as 1,214 students did not appear in the exams. Sylhet board had the lowest number with 124 candidates.
Among the expelled students, 13 are from Technical Board and one from Chittagong Board, said the control room.
Two invigilators from Comilla Board were expelled for helping examinees unfairly during the examination while police arrested a person for impersonating a candidate at Char Fashion in Bhola.