Staff Reporter :
The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations-2018 will begin across the country today (Monday) amid tough measures to check question paper leakage.
Tight security has been arranged for holding the examination smoothly.
A total of 13, 11,457 examinees from 8,864 educational institutions will appear in the examinations under 10 education boards this year. Of them, 6, 35,697 are males and 5, 47,989 females, the Education Ministry sources said.
A total of 10,92,607 candidates from eight general education boards are set to sit for the examinations,
1,00,127 under the Madrasa Education Board and 1,17,754 from the Technical Education Board.
A total of 1,27,771 candidates have been increased this year, comparing with the previous year.
A total of 11,83,686 examinees appeared in the HSC and equivalent examinations last year.
Besides, 299 students will appear in the examinations from seven overseas centres.
Only the in-charge officers of respective centres will be allowed to enter the examination halls with mobile phones as they will be given instruction via a text message about the set of question papers.
The authorities will open envelopes of question papers about 25 minutes before the examinations start and they have already taken decision to shut down all the coaching centres till completion of the examinations.
All the concerned authorities are sincerely working to root out all possible sources of question paper leakage, as a vested quarter is involved in the malpractices, sources said.
All the examinees have been asked to take their seats in the examination centres 30 minutes before the examinations begin.
The written examinations will continue until May 13, while the practical examinations will be held from May 14 to May 23.
Candidates with physical disabilities will receive 20 additional minutes in the examinations while the examinees with special needs, including those with autism.
