A total of 978 students were absent for the Language paper I of Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations in the educational districts of Madurai, Usilampatti and Melur on Wednesday, according to officials from the Education Department.
A total of 45,744 regular candidates and 1,256 private candidates were expected to appear for the SSLC examinations in the three educational districts. However, on day one of the examination, on Wednesday, 858 regular candidates and 120 private candidates were absent, the officials said.
Chief Educational Officer C. Amuthavalli said, “The candidate list was based on the enrolment list prepared in the beginning of the academic year. Several students would have dropped out of schools or migrated to other districts. Some would not have appeared for the exam owing to ill health.”
The number of absentees is high all over the State because the Education Department did not prepare a deletion list during the middle of the academic year, she added.
The examination is being conducted at 28 centres in Usilampatti educational district, 38 centres in Melur educational district and 57 centres in Madurai educational district.
District Collector L. Subramanian visited Kakkaipadiniyar School on Wednesday, along with the CEO and other officials. The district administration has ensured uninterrupted power supply during the examination hours, said a press release from the Collectorate.
No case of malpractice was reported on Wednesday, said Ms. Amuthavalli.
