LARKANA, March 12: Amidst tight security, boycott and teachers' arrests, annual SSC examinations began in the Larkana Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education jurisdiction on Friday.

On the call of the Government Secondary Teachers' Association, the teachers boycotted the class XI and X examinations in Larkana, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and parts of Dadu district.

They took the action in protest over refusal of the Sindh education minister to accept their demands, including 25 per cent job quota for the children of the teachers.

The district government had made alternate arrangements and succeeded in holding the examinations.

In Kambar, the police arrested 13 teachers - including Mukhtar Buledi, Manzoor Bhutto, Niaz Chandio, Jawad Soomro and Bakhtiar Chandio - for locking examination centre and asking candidates to boycott examinations. At the Government Girls' High School a woman teacher was arrested for disturbing the examination and freed later.

Candidates at the Government Girls' High School, Naudero, boycotted the examination after DSP Ghulam Ali Brohi misbehaved with women teachers.

Around 140 boy candidates also boycotted the examination in the Government High School, Naduero.

In Ratodero, around 35 teachers were picked up for violating section 144, CrPC, and entering an examination center to enforce boycott. The GSTA activists laid a siege to the local police station and talked to the police which released the teachers.

In Khairpur Joso, Garhi Khairo, and Bakrani, the GSTA leaders allegedly torn up the answer copies and disturbed the examinations.

The examinations began in Larkana city amidst tension after GSTA activists allegedly beat up principals of two schools and torn up answer copies on Thursday, which led to lodging of an FIR against the teachers' leaders.

Reports of late beginning of the examinations were received from different centres.