Over 4.38 lakh students appear as HSLC exams begin across Assam

Guwahati, Feb 10: The High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examinations commenced across Assam on Tuesday, with 4,38,565 candidates appearing at 1,046 examination centres across the state.

According to the State Board of School Education, a total of 1,90,243 boys and 2,48,322 girls have registered for this year’s matriculation examinations.

The examinations will continue till February 27, after which answer scripts will be evaluated by 45 evaluation boards, officials said.

The first day of the examinations concluded at 12 pm and was largely peaceful, though isolated incidents were reported from Sipajhar in Darrang district and Gauripur in Dhubri district.

At the Gorukhuti Higher Secondary School examination centre in Sipajhar, question papers reportedly did not reach the centre even after 9 am.

This led to anxiety among students and teachers, following which school authorities approached the Sipajhar police station seeking immediate intervention. A police official present at the venue said the situation was being closely monitored.

“We are reviewing the matter and taking necessary steps. The question papers were on the way from the board office. If any lapse or wrongdoing is found, appropriate action will be taken,” the official said.

Authorities later confirmed that the issue was resolved and the examination was conducted.

Meanwhile, in Gauripur in Dhubri district, on February 9, a student faced difficulty due to the absence of an admit card.

Atiful Islam, a student of Gauripur PC Institute School, said he had completed the registration process but did not receive his admit card in time.

“I applied for registration for the examination, but I have not received my admit card yet. Because of this, I am facing serious problems,” the student said, expressing concern along with his parents.

Education officials said the matter was being looked into.

Elsewhere in the state, the HSLC examinations progressed smoothly with large turnouts reported from several districts.

In Biswanath district, a total of 9,945 students appeared for the HSLC examinations on Tuesday, with 5,537 boys and 4,408 girls. The examinations are being conducted at 27 centres across the district.

In Chirang district, a total of 7,286 students appeared from the district across 13 examination centres. Chirang District Commissioner Jatin Borah said elaborate arrangements were made to ensure the smooth conduct of the examinations.

“Preparatory meetings were held nearly a week ago to review arrangements. We coordinated with police stations and circle officials to maintain strict vigilance. No gatherings are allowed within 100 metres of examination centres, and a dedicated WhatsApp group has been created for officials to immediately report any untoward incident,” Borah said.

He added that restrictions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) were enforced around examination centres and appealed to the public to avoid loud noise and cooperate with the administration to maintain peace and order.

Despite a few initial hiccups, officials said the first day of the HSLC examinations concluded without any major disruption.