About 4,000 pre-university college lecturers didn’t turn up for work on Wednesday, the first day of answer script evaluation.

C Shikha, director of the Department of Pre-University Education, directed them to start from Thursday or face action.

The evaluation of second pre-university exam answer scripts began on Wednesday at 48 camps in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Mangaluru, Davangere, Dharwad and Belagavi. The exams concluded on March 27.

The department has delegated 21,000 academics, including principals, for evaluation duty. About a fifth of them were absent on Wednesday. Shikha said the staff would face action if they failed to turn up at their centres on April 6.

“Evaluation centres for physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, computer science, economics, and accountancy in Bengaluru had low attendance,” she said.

Attendance was only about 60% at Vijaya PU College, Sri Kumaran PU College, BEL College (Jalahalli), RNS Vidyaniketan Composite PU College, Mount Carmel College, Seshadripuram Pre-University College and Seshadripuram Pre-University College (Yelahanka).

Thimmaiah Purle, president of the Karnataka State Pre-university College Lecturers’ Association, said the absence was not due to any boycott.

“Some may have received their orders late, and not got tickets in time to travel to their assigned centres,” he said.