Madhesh Province Declines Participation in SEE Over Unaddressed Concerns

The Madhesh provincial government has announced that it will not participate in the upcoming Secondary Education Examination (SEE), scheduled to begin on April 2.

Speaking at a press conference at the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, Chief Minister Satish Kumar Singh stated that the provincial government’s concerns regarding the examination process had been disregarded, leading to the decision to boycott SEE-related activities.

On March 10, the provincial government had proposed that examination center heads be selected through a lottery system to ensure transparency and fairness. However, this decision was not implemented, prompting dissatisfaction from the Madhesh administration.

“We made the decision in coordination with the National Examination Board (NEB), but it was ignored. Weakening the role of the provincial government in such matters is unacceptable,” Singh said.

The decision has sparked tensions, particularly after teachers’ associations and unions opposed the lottery-based selection system. As a result, a meeting of the examination selection committee, chaired by the Chief District Officer, was forced to revert to the traditional appointment process, which the provincial government sees as arbitrary.

Meanwhile, the Madhesh Province Educational Directorate has confirmed that 88,858 students from 1,231 schools are set to appear for the SEE across 312 examination centers in the province. To facilitate the exams, 12,242 personnel, including 4,580 security officers, have been deployed.

Despite the boycott by the provincial government, SEE preparations continue under the oversight of the National Examination Board and local authorities.