Kathmandu, March 29
All SEE exam question papers in Province 2 may have been leaked, officials from the National Examination Board said on Friday.
Question papers for the Science exam were leaked on Thursday while that of Social Studies was leaked on Friday, the day the exam was scheduled to take place. Officials believe that all papers have may have been leaked as answers for the leaked questions also surfaced on social media a night before both the exams. Officials say they saw some students copy answers from their mobile phones on Friday morning, and that prompted them to put the exam on hold.
Province 2 police chief Rajendra Bista said police personnel who ferry the question papers from Kathmandu to province have nothing to do with the leak. “We aren’t responsible for this. The papers were sealed when they were handed to us,” he said.
Meanwhile, students attending the exam staged protests in Birgunj demanding that the exams continue as per schedule. Police say some students put a Van (Na 1 Kha 7787) on fire near Ghanta Ghar. Students also vandalised shops and colleges. SP Rewati Dhakal sustained minor injuries after a stone thrown by a protesting student hit him on his leg.
Students also picketed the Chief Minister’s office in Janakpur and pelted. They burnt tyres in Janakpurdham demanding that the exams continue.
Chief Minister Lal Babu Raut accused the central government bodies of leaking the papers to defame his province. “This is a ploy by those who are against federalism,” he added.
“The questions we prepared by the National Education Board which falls under the central government. That is why I feel that centre should be responsible,” said CM Raut. Raut also said that he was saddened by the manner in which the questions papers were being leaked and asked the central government to punish those responsible for the crime.
“Investigation in Nepal always takes a long time, but this is a serious matter which is why the centre has to make sure that the culprit is be punished as soon as possible,” added Raut. Similarly, the Province 2 government has also demanded the resignation of Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel.
