The first day of the 2026 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations passed peacefully in Cox’s Bazar on Thursday, with 304 candidates absent from the district’s 35 examination centres.
According to the District Administration’s Education and ICT Branch, a total of 15,748 candidates were scheduled to sit the examinations across 18 HSC centres, 9 Alim centres, and 8 HSC (Vocational) centres.
Of the 12,498 candidates registered for the HSC examinations, 12,294 appeared while 204 were absent.
In the Alim stream, 77 of the 2,002 registered candidates did not attend the examinations.
Meanwhile, 18 of the 1,248 candidates registered for the HSC (Vocational) examinations were absent.
The total number of absentees across all three streams stood at 304 on the opening day.
The district administration said extensive measures had been taken to ensure the examinations were conducted peacefully, fairly and without malpractice.
Executive magistrates were deployed at every examination centre, while members of law enforcement agencies remained on duty throughout the examination. Restrictions under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure were enforced around the examination centres, and no untoward incidents were reported.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) Shahidul Alam said that centre secretaries had been given the necessary instructions well in advance to ensure the smooth conduct of the examinations.
‘All relevant departments worked in coordination to ensure the secure transportation and storage of question papers, the safety of candidates and the maintenance of law and order,’ he said.
He added that all preparations had been completed in line with government and Ministry of Education directives, allowing the first day’s examinations to be held in a peaceful and orderly environment.
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Courtesy
