DHAKA: A total of 1,479,266 students will participate in Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations for this year.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid told the media at Secretariat in city on Thursday on the occasion of the examinations to begin from February 2.

Claiming the withdrawal of hartal and blockade a public demand, the minister urged the political parties to avoid such programs for the examinations’ sake.

‘I call on Awami League, BNP, Jatiya Party not to hamper the examinations of the children’, he added.

The education minister said, ‘I pray to Allah for BNP so that they can feel the human values. I pray to Allah for our nation, country and its future’.

Urging the BNP he further said, ‘For God’s sake, withdraw the political programs so that children can attend the examinations without fear or anxiety.

However, a total of 1,112,591 student will participate in SSC while 256,380 in Dakhil and 110,295 in vocational examinations.

Students, who live abroad, will attend the examinations in eight centers.

The minister added that his government took the decision of arranging SSC examinations on February 2 every year since 2010.

BDST: 1413 HRS, JAN 29, 2015