Around 59,517 students were absent across the country on the first day of Junior School Certificate and its equivalent for madrasa students, and Junior Dakhil Certificate examinations, according to education ministry control room.
The control room also added that 54 students were expelled on the first day for cheating in the examinations.
The school students sat for English First Paper and madrasa students for Arabic Second Paper on Thursday. Some 1,902,746 students took part in the examinations at 2,420 examination centres across the country.
The highest number of expelled, 28, were in the Dhaka education board and the highest number of absent,
20,813, were in the madrasa education board. The exams, scheduled to begin from Monday, were postponed along with Wednesday’s due to the 60 hours hartal called by the 18-party opposition alliance.