Education secretary orders civil servants to oversee Grade 12 exams
Before the meeting, board members had indicated that the gathering would focus on the issue of rescheduling the exams.
KATHMANDU: An emergency meeting was called by the National Examination Board on Tuesday morning to discuss the proposal to postpone the Grade 12 exams due to ongoing teacher protests.
Before the meeting, board members had indicated that the gathering would focus on the issue of rescheduling the exams.
However, Education Secretary Deepak Khafle, who attended the meeting, instructed that the exams be held starting from March 24, even if it requires deploying staff.
According to board sources, this decision was finalized during the meeting.
Board Chair Mahashram Sharma had informally discussed the possibility of postponing the exams for at least seven days.
However, after the resignation of the education minister, Education Secretary Khafle, who participated in the meeting, took a firm stand on conducting the exams.
A board member confirmed that both the Prime Minister and the Chief Secretary also supported the decision to proceed with the exams. “The Education Secretary suggested that the exams could proceed with staff mobilized through the CDOs,” the member said. “After this, everyone agreed that the exams could go ahead.”
The board structure includes the Education Secretary as the Vice Chair and the Chief District Officer as the head of the exam coordination committee in each district.
Chairman Sharma stated that they would urge teachers to participate in the exams, and if they refuse, alternative measures would be taken to ensure the exams are held.
With less than 48 hours remaining, exam centers, inspectors, and staff have yet to be appointed, and training and orientation for them have not been conducted.
The Nepal Teachers’ Federation, which has been protesting for the past 21 days, has urged teachers and staff not to participate in the exams.
A total of 5,19,000 students are expected to sit for the exams across 1,591 centers nationwide.
An estimated 20,000 personnel, including center heads, inspectors, assistants, and security staff, will be deployed for the exams.
