VIJAYAWADA: The SSC Public Examinations commenced smoothly across the state on Monday, with students appearing for the first paper at 3,415 examination centres amid tight security and elaborate arrangements by the authorities.

A total of 6,29,109 candidates had registered for the examination; of them, 6,22,217 students appeared, while 6,852 candidates were absent, recording an overall attendance of 98.90 per cent.

As part of the arrangements, 1,753 inspections were carried out at various centres by monitoring authorities, including District Collectors, District Level Observers, District Educational Officers, ACGEs, District Monitoring Coordinators and flying squads across the State.

During the inspections, a few instances of negligence by invigilators were noticed. Two invigilators in Kadapa district, one in Anantapuramu district and another in Palnadu district were found to have been negligent in discharging their duties.

The authorities took a serious view of the matter and initiated action against the concerned invigilators in accordance with the rules governing examination conduct.

Officials also instructed all District Educational Officers, Chief Superintendents, departmental officers and invigilators to maintain strict vigilance and strictly follow examination protocols to ensure the smooth conduct of the remaining papers.