Following pressure from the Teachers’ Federation, the National Examination Board has postponed the Grade 12 examination. The examination, which was scheduled to start next Thursday, will now be held on April 21, said Dr. Mahashram Sharma, Chairman of the National Examination Board.
The board meeting held on Tuesday morning had decided to conduct the exam on the scheduled day by mobilizing the staff. The decision was widely criticized. The Teachers Federation had decided to boycott the exam.
That is why Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who also holds the responsibility of Education Minister, had directed the board to postpone the exam. After the board’s decision, officials were in discussions all day.
A team including Board Chairman Sharma had gone to Baluwatar on Tuesday evening to hold discussions with Prime Minister KP Oli. During the discussions, the Prime Minister had directed to postpone the exams by a few days.
The morning board meeting decided to mobilise staff and conduct the examination, entrusting the responsibility to the District Examination Coordination Committee under the coordination of the Chief District Officer.
However, the Nepal Teachers Federation had called on teachers and staff not to participate in the examination. The federation, which has been holding street protests centered in Kathmandu since Chaitra 20, has announced an academic strike from Chaitra 25.
However, Education Minister Bidya Bhattarai, who was trying to reach a consensus with the agitating teachers, resigned on Monday due to the Prime Minister’s lack of cooperation.