Minister for Education and Sports Radha Krishna Mainali has urged the Maoists and political parties to fully cooperate with the government in holding the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examinations that will start on March 27.

Minister Mainali is making the request one day before the beginning of the blockade and bandh called by the Maoists.

This year 332,134 students, 260,000 regular examinees and 72,134 exempted students are appearing in the SLC examination. Mainali informed that around 40,000 government staffers and 14,910 security personnel would be mobilised for the examination. There will be 16,609 superintendents in 994 exam centres across the country.

Minister Mainali also informed that the government would provide opportunity to all students carrying admit cards irrespective of their political affiliation to appear in the forthcoming SLC examinations.

Last year, some of the students affiliated to the student wing of Maoists were arrested from the examination centres.

Speaking at the same programme, Mohan Gyanwali, president of the Nepal Teachers’ Association (NTA), said even though the teachers were agitating demanding the government meet their 16-point demand, their protests would not affect the SLC examination.

Suprabhat Bhandari, president of the Guardians’ Association of Nepal, said the 13 years of hard work of students should not go wasted due to the vested interest of certain groups.