A total of 24,784 candidates were absent on the first day of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations this year, while seven students were expelled for using unfair means, the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee said on Thursday.
The information was released in a statement signed by Professor Syed Akhtaruzzaman, chairman of the coordination committee and Dhaka Education Board.
In the first-day Bangla First Paper examination under nine general education boards, 8,56,097 students were registered, of whom 8,38,864 appeared.
A total of 17,233 candidates were absent, accounting for 2.01 per cent of the examinees.
Among the boards, Dhaka recorded 3,971 absentees, Rajshahi 2,467, Cumilla 1,795, Jashore 2,078, Chattogram 1,340, Sylhet 1,127, Barishal 1,346, Dinajpur 1,937 and Mymensingh 1,182.
Five candidates were expelled from general education boards for malpractice-two from Jashore and one each from Cumilla, Dinajpur and Mymensingh. No invigilators were removed from duty.
Under the Madrasa Education Board, 80,653 candidates appeared for the Qur’an Majid examination, while 4,478 were absent and one student was expelled.
In the Technical Education Board, 80,603 students sat for the Bangla-2 examination. A total of 3,073 were absent, and one examinee was expelled for unfair means.
Examinations were also held at eight overseas centres under the Dhaka Education Board.
This year, examinations are being conducted at 1,620 centres under the general education boards, 460 centres under the Madrasa Education Board and 611 centres under the Technical Education Board.

