Guwahati : The High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examinations began across Assam on Tuesday, with 4,38,565 candidates appearing at 1,046 examination centres statewide, officials said.

According to the State Board of School Education, Assam, a total of 1,90,243 boys and 2,48,322 girls have registered for this year’s matriculation examinations. The exams will continue until February 27, after which answer scripts will be evaluated by 45 evaluation boards.

The first day of examinations concluded at 12 noon and was largely peaceful, though isolated issues 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 failed to reach the centre even after 9 am, triggering anxiety among students and teachers. Following the delay, 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.

In Gauripur town of Dhubri district, a student reportedly faced difficulty due to the non-receipt 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,” he said, expressing concern along with his parents. Education officials said the matter was under examination.

Elsewhere in the state, the examinations progressed smoothly with large turnouts reported from several districts. In Biswanath district, 9,945 students – including 5,537 boys and 4,408 girls – appeared for the HSLC examinations across 27 centres. In Chirang district, 7,286 candidates took the examinations at 13 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 in advance to review arrangements.

Coordination was done 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 across the state.