Madhesh Province withdraws from SEE exam process over dispute on center head appointment

JANAKPUR: The Madhesh Province government has announced its withdrawal from this year’s Secondary Education Examination (SEE) process, citing disagreements over the appointment of center heads.

Chief Minister Satish Kumar Singh, speaking at a press conference, expressed dissatisfaction with the District Examination Coordination Committees for appointing the principal of the school where the center is located as the center head, disregarding the provincial government’s directives.

The Madhesh government had earlier proposed a lottery system for the appointment of center heads to ensure a fair, credible, and transparent examination process.

However, the Chief District Officer-led committees moved forward with the traditional approach of appointing school principals as center heads, which the provincial government deems unacceptable.

Accusing federal employees and the examination coordination committee of disregarding provincial guidelines, Chief Minister Singh said, “There is a big conspiracy to cheat in the SEE, with question papers being leaked and center heads and teachers involved in helping examinees cheat. Our efforts to reform the system have been undermined.”

Minister for Education and Culture Rani Sharma Tiwari echoed these concerns, emphasizing that the provincial government could not remain a bystander in the face of irregularities.

She called for an in-depth investigation into the selection process and reiterated the province’s commitment to maintaining examination integrity.