On getting replies, the authority will decide about action against the schools. The notices given on Saturday have to be replied within a week, Board sources said.

The Board is also contemplating sending proposals to the ministry for cancellation of affiliation of three schools, from which none passed the SSC examination. One of the three is Bara Chatul High School in Kanaighat from where three examinees appeared.

The rest two are Maijgram High School in Barlekha in Moulvibazar and Ekota High school of Chhatak upazila in Sunamganj which had only seven examinees.

All the 34 schools will face punishment, the sources said.

The 34 institutions include 11 in Sylhet, 11 in Sunamganj, 8 in Moulvibazar and 4 in Habiganj.

The 31 institutions had below 20 pass percentage.

These include Saptogram High School in Beanibazar upazila; Farhana Hossain High School, Paton Abdullahpur High School and Salam-Mokbul High School in Golapganj; Sajjad Majumder High School and Zakiganj Girls High School in Zakiganj; Rasulpur High School and CMP Academy and Sadrunnesa High School in Balaganj and Ganinagar High School in Sylhet Sadar upazila; Dhol High School and Tarol High School in Derai;, Mahmud Nagar High School and Hafiz Ali High School in Shulla; Haji Abdul Khalique High School, Jalalabad High School, Haji Jamal Uddin High School and Ganipur High School in Chhatak; Abdus Subhan High School and Pailgaon TM High School in Jagannathpur upazila of Sunamganj.

In Moulvibazar district, the schools facing punishment are Shantikul High School and Kadomhata High School in Rajnagar upazila; Ragna- Batuli High School and Rajnagar High School in Kulaura; Kechhrigul High School in Barlekha; Abdul Mosobbir Academy in KAmolganj and Raipur High School in the Sadar upazila.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib High School, Ekdala High School and SNP High School in Nabiganj upazila and JDN High School in Baniachang upazila may also face the same fate due to poor results.

The sources said schools in remote rural areas suffer from

infrastructure problems, absence of qualified teachers. Most such schools have 'almost inactive' managing committees.

Though the schools do not have the minimum number of teachers they managed affiliation by using political influence, the sources claimed.

Baro Chatul high school in Kanaighat got approval in 2005. Only three students appeared at SSC examination from it for the first time this year and all failed.

Only one teacher of the school was on the MPO (government monthly pay order) list but he was dropped later on a complaint, the sources said. It has five other teachers, but they are not on the MPO list.

The sources said allegations have it that a good number of schools got affiliation for opening secondary section in a very short time without proper investigation.

"We will take some other measures in addition to action for bad results", an official of Sylhet Board told this correspondent.

"We have asked the schools to submit results of annual examinations to see what really is taking place there", the officialadded.