Examiners have not been asked to give extra marks to Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinees, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said today.

"The examinees should get the marks they deserve," Nahid said during a media briefing on the upcoming SSC examinations at Secretariat in the morning.

This year, a total of 16,51,523 students from 28,119 educational institutions across the country will take part in SSC and equivalent examinations scheduled to begin on Monday.

The number of SSC examinees rose to 1,72,257 this year, he added.

"Seven children with autism and down-syndrome will also participate in the examinations for the first time this year and they will be allowed an extra 30 minutes," the minister said.

On question paper leak, he said: "There is no scope for leakage of question papers this year as we have taken all the necessary measures against it."

"Besides, the potential suspects who can leak questions are under observation," he said.

The theoretical examinations will be held from February 1 to March 8 while the practical examinations will take place from March 9 to March 14.