HSC exams begin amid violence

Students of Viqarunnisa Noon College sit for the HSC exams at Habibullah Bahar College in the capital as the exams get under way nationwide yesterday. Photo: Amran Hossain

The Higher Secondary Certificate and its equivalent examinations began yesterday amid violence in different parts of the country ahead of today's hartal enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance and Islami Chhatra Shibir.
A total of 1,012,581 examinees from 7,803 educational institutions registered for the exams across the country this year.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid urged the political parties not to hold any programme like hartal that disrupts examinations.
On the first day of the examinations 9,297 candidates were absent while 33 were expelled for unfair means.
HSC, alim and business management candidates appeared for the Bangla 1st paper yesterday conducted by eight general education boards, one madrasa board and one technical board.
Barisal Board recorded the highest number of examinees with 314 absent, while Dhaka Board had the lowest count with 1,623 absentees.
The written examinations will end on May 28.