KATHMANDU: The Class 12 exams, which were originally scheduled to begin on April 24, have been postponed to May 4, but with the ongoing teachers’ strike, uncertainty continues to cloud the academic future of students across the country.
Students who have been preparing diligently for the past two months are now left in limbo, caught in the crossfire between teachers demanding the promulgation of the Education Act and a government unable to guarantee the exams will be held on time. The situation has left many students emotionally exhausted and mentally distressed.
Many students had already reached examination centers in remote areas, carrying bags and study materials, only to find themselves stranded.
The National Examination Board (NEB) had earlier announced the postponement after it became clear that striking teachers would not return to their duties. Although the government initially promised to conduct the exams by mobilizing civil servants, the plan collapsed after employee trade unions announced their solidarity with the teachers’ movement and refused to facilitate the examination process.
On April 24, the NEB issued a revised schedule, stating that the exams would now start from May 4. But this has done little to reassure students, who are increasingly voicing their frustration and despair online.
Social media platforms like TikTok are flooded with emotional appeals from students. One student, posting from the account ‘Digital Nepal,’ asked, “Should half a million students now surround the Parliament building? We are ready to take the exams even tomorrow, but will they really be held?”
The student questioned the government’s repeated changes and criticized the reliance on non-teaching staff to conduct examinations.
Another student, Anish Shrestha, expressed dismay at the lack of accountability from the education leadership.
“Education Minister Bidya Bhattarai resigned while we were stuck in tension about our exams. Pages like Routine of Nepal Bandh keep spreading confusing updates. We are mentally collapsing. We’ve forgotten everything we studied.”
Bhumika Basnet, another student, sarcastically posted the exam routine and warned that if the exams are postponed again, students will take to the streets in protest. Likewise, Purnima Rijal shared her own frustration, saying, “I fell asleep after studying, only to wake up to news that the exam is postponed again. This is mental torture. How are we supposed to concentrate?”
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