The much-awaited Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations began on Sunday, maintaining health protocols.

Some 22,27,113 students are taking part in the examinations this time while the number was 20,46,779 last time.

The number of candidates has increased by 1,79,334 with a growth rate of 8.76 per cent.

The examinations are being held with short syllabuses on three elective subjects on a group basis.

About 18,00,998 candidates are supposed to sit for the SSC examinations under nine general education boards, 3,01,887 for Dakhil exams under Madrasah Education Board and 1,24,228 for vocational exams under Bangladesh Technical Education Board this year.

Besides, 429 students are taking part in the examinations from abroad.

In the country, some 3,679 centers have been set up for the exams.

This year, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and other social media will be monitored to prevent question paper leak. If any ID is suspected, law enforcers will monitor and take immediate action.

The decision was taken at a meeting on the security of SSC exams with law enforcement agencies at the Ministry of Education on October 13.

According to the schedule, the SSC and its equivalent examinations will end on November 23.

Usually, the SSC examinations are held in February but this year these could not be held as per schedule due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

An uncertainty was created over the public examination due to prolonged Covid-forced closure of educational institutions and Delta variant-driven resurgence of Covid cases from the beginning of the year.

With the improvement in the Covid situation, the government finally reopened educational institutions on September 13 and on September 27, and it announced plans to hold the SSC and HSC examinations with shortened syllabuses.

Educational institutions across the country were closed in March last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the closure was extended several times.

Last year’s HSC examinees were evaluated on the basis of their results of JSC and SSC exams, a decision which received a mixed reaction.