KATHMANDU: Nepali film actress Karishma Manandhar is appearing in the SEE exam 2019. She is a role model for entire women implying that education has no age boundary.

She is a student of Triveni Secondary School at Maiti Devi. She is appearing for the exam at the SEE center in Bijaya Memorial Secondary School in Dillibazar.

KATHMANDU: World Tuberculosis Day is being observed across the globe today. The day is marked to raise public awareness that tuberculosis (TB) today remains an epidemic in most parts of the world, causing the deaths of nearly one-and-a-half million people each year, mostly in developing countries.

It commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus. At the time of Koch’s announcement in Berlin, TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one out of every seven people. Koch’s discovery opened the way towards diagnosing and curing TB.

TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious killer. Each day, nearly 4500 people lose their lives to TB and close to 30,000 people fall sick with this preventable and curable disease. Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 54 million lives since the year 2000 and reduced the TB mortality rate by 42%.

Likewise, there are 45,000 patients of TB in Nepal, according to the World Health Organization (WHO ).  Similarly, around 60,000 Nepalis are suffering from TB, National Tuberculosis Center informed. Medicine and treatment for the TB patients is cost free.

KATHMANDU: A total of 61,978 have applied for the Korean langue test (KLT) under the Employment Permit System.  According to the Department of Foreign Employment, EPS section, the candidates will have to fill out forms from March 22 to 31 online.

Human Resource Department under the Korean government has announced vacancies for 10,050 Nepali workers –  7,050 for productive sector while over 3,000 for agriculture and livestock sectors – at the request of the department for the year 2019. KLT will be held on June 8-9.

KATHMANDU: Higher number of girl students appearing the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) does not signify an end to gender bias among parents. A closer look reveals that discrimination between a son and daughter is stubbornly persistent.

Of the total 475,003 SEE students, number of boys is 2, 36,445 whereas the number of girl students is slightly higher standing at 2, 38,558.

However, the fact is that most of the girl students are from community schools. Quality of education in community schools is often inferior compared to that of private schools where students are taught in English medium.

A total of 118,807 girls attending the SEE examination are from community schools. Only 56,751 girls are from private schools, according to the Office of the Controller of Examinations.

Chairperson of the Private and Boarding Schools Association of Nepal (PABSON) Rituraj Sapkota said PABSON’s role in increasing the number of girl students at private schools is ineffective. Unless parents start treating their children as equal PABSON alone cannot reduce the gender gap at private schools, said Sapkota.

Educationist, Dr. Mana Prasad Wagley views that the private schools need to be gradually closed in order to end social discrimination in education. It may be noted that the high-level national education commission had in its report recommended making private schools service-oriented.

In the meanwhile, renowned actress Karishma Manandhar and law maker Shanta Chaudhari are also attending the SEE exam this year.

KATHMANDU: The x-ray machine at the Tribhuvan International Airport, the only of its kind in the country is ineffective in terms of detecting illegal objects.

This came to the fore following the arrest of three Nepali youths repatriated from Malasiya recently. The police seized a huge amount of tobacco products from them.

The police had seized total 2,059 packets of cigarettes from Kamal Narayan Bishwas of Sunsari, Shailendra Majhi of Morang and Prakash Thapaliya of Nuwakot.

However, the x-ray machine did not detect those objects during the airport security clearance procedure, according to Gajendra Thakur, an administrator at the TIA.

BHAKTAPUR: The Office of Controller of Examinations, Sanothimi, said it has completed all necessary preparations for the Secondary Education Examinations (SEE) beginning Sunday.

A total of 475,003 students from across the country are appearing in the exam this year that is being conducted under the federal set-up for the first time this year. The exam will run until April 4.

Of the students qualified to appear the SEE, 2,38,558 are girls and 2,36,445 are boys.  The highest number of students (10,602) are from State 3 while the least number (35,624) are from the Karnali State.

Similarly, 83,818 are from the State 1; 70,518 are from the State 2; 4,863 represent the Gandaki Province; 76,983 are from the State 5 and 5, 3972 represent the Far-West State.

A total of 1,969 centers are set-up for the exams while 1,969 superintendents; 3,167 deputy superintendents and 29,535 security forces will be mobilized to conduct the exams scheduled from 8:00 am to 11:00 am.

POKHARA: The Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’ outfit has captured 25 ropanis of land belonging to businessman Ajayraj Sumargi located at Pokhara Metropolitan, Sishuwa on Saturday.

‘Biplav’ outfit planted the party’s flag to announce the capturing of the land claiming that Mukti Shree Pvt Ltd owned by Sumargi took the land under its ownership unlawfully.

KATHMANDU: A team from Metropolitan Police Sector, Nagdhunga arrested three men with illegal possession of drugs from different places of Kathmandu.

Police arrested Ansu Chaudhary of Gaushala Municipality-7 in Mahottari district during a security check. The team confiscated 165 Nitravet tablets from him.

Likewise, a team from the Metropolitan Police Sector, Koteshwar arrested Sushanta Guragain of Chandragadhi, Jhapa and Rohit Mainali of Sindhuli from Mahadevsthan, Koteshwor during a security check. The police seized 402 Nitravet tablets from them, said the police.

GORKHA: Spokesperson of Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) Narayankaji Shrestha on Saturday claimed the government did not ban the Biplav outfit. He claimed the government is only controlling anti-constitutional activities.

Speaking to reporters, Shrestha said the government has called the outfit for peace talks, adding it was the government’s responsibility to control its anti-constitutional activities.

“It has been already out that Prime Minister has invited the outfit for talks,” he said.

He further said the goal of the Biplav’s party may be political but its current activities are apparently not political.

Biplav’s activities have created obstacles in preparing the foundation for socialism, therefore, such activities should be checked, Shrestha noted.

DOLAKHA: National pride project, Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower (456 MW) will be completed within mid-December, according to Barsha Man Pun, minister for energy, water resources and irrigation.

The minister made the announcement in briefing the press today following his inspection visit of the project site. Officials with the hydro project confirmed that almost 98 percent of the construction works of the project is over.

The Minister had obtained information about the project’s progress from the Project Chief, Dinesh Jung Rana and Chief Executive Officer, Bigyan Shrestha. He stayed at the project site for about three hours and observed the construction works.

“We have serious concern in this project as it is a very important project. I have focused all my attention towards completing the project in time. I am confident of the project’s completion within the stipulated time frame,” he said.
He added that this project has proved that Nepalis are themselves capable of constructing big projects by mobilizing indigenous labour, skills and capital.

The Energy Minister described the project as an important model project of Nepal.