HYDERABAD, April 15: A total number of 78,507 students will appear in the higher secondary certificate part-I and II annual examinations to be held from April 20 at 124 centres for which the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education has made all arrangements.

The break-up of candidates shows that around 39,999 would appear in the HSC pat-I and 38,508 in part-II in science, humanities, commerce and home economics streams. BISE chairman Syed Sultan Abbas told this correspondent on Thursday that colleges of Hyderabad, Badin, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Nawabshah and parts of Dadu districts were affiliated with the BISE.

There are 101 colleges and 65 higher secondary schools in the board's jurisdiction. Examination centres have been set up in 52 colleges and 22 high secondary school of Hyderabad district, nine colleges and two high secondary schools of Badin, eight colleges and four high secondary schools of Nawabshah, eight colleges and nine higher secondary schools of Sanghar, 10 colleges and 14 higher secondary schools of Mirpurkhas, 10 colleges and nine higher secondary schools of Dadu and four colleges and five higher secondary schools of Thatta district.

Home centres would only be established in those areas where alternate buildings of colleges or higher secondary schools are not available. The BISE chairman claimed that in Hyderabad no home centre would be set up because college and higher secondary schools buildings were available.

The BISE had constituted a committee comprising former director colleges Prof Idrees Khan, SPLA central leader Prof Agha Khalid, Prof Mohsin Atta, Prof Ali Akbar Shah, Aftab Ahsan Qureshi, and Shahnaz Junejo to forward proposals how to hold examinations in a smooth manner.

One of the committee members said that the committee had proposed that the BISE must keep in mind that there should be no overcrowding in the examination centres and all facilities including sitting, water and electricity must be available there.

The BISE directed all the district officers and EDOs to form vigilance committees in their areas for paying surprise visits to the examination centres to curb copy culture. Each vigilance committee would be supervising at least 10 colleges in its area.

A BISE official claimed that as compared to last year there was 10 per cent increase in number of candidates appearing in the current year. The BISE chairman said the last year the board had debarred 15 teachers for their carelessness in assessment of answer copies.