Bhubaneswar, 20 March (H.S.): Nearly 10,000 students who had registered for this year’s High School Certificate (HSC) examination in Odisha did not appear for the tests, according to official data presented in the State Legislative Assembly.

School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond informed the House that a total of 5,46,876 students had filled out examination forms. However, only 5,36,946 candidates appeared for the examination, leaving 9,930 students absent. This translates to an absenteeism rate of approximately 1.81 percent.

The revelation has sparked renewed discussion over the reasons behind such absenteeism in one of the state’s most crucial board examinations. Experts and past trends point to factors such as economic hardships forcing students into early employment, seasonal migration of families, health-related issues, and lack of adequate academic or institutional support after registration.

The examinations were conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Odisha, which had implemented several modern measures this year, including AI-assisted monitoring and secure systems for question paper distribution to ensure smooth conduct.

Despite these administrative improvements, the number of absentees has once again highlighted the ongoing challenge of ensuring consistent student participation and completion at the secondary education level in the state.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda