SEE Results Delayed Amid Teachers’ Protest: NEB Vows Accuracy Over Speed

The publication of this year’s Secondary Education Examination (SEE) results for Grade 10 has been delayed due to nationwide protests by schoolteachers, the National Examination Board (NEB) confirmed.

Originally scheduled to be released by the end of June, the results are now expected to be announced later than usual. NEB Examination Controller Dr. Ganesh Bhattarai cited the teachers’ protest as the primary cause behind the delay, which disrupted the answer sheet evaluation process by over a month.

“This year, evaluation started one and a half months after the exam ended, whereas it typically begins within a week,” said Dr. Bhattarai. The SEE exams concluded on April 1, and evaluation, verification, and data entry are still ongoing for approximately 4 million answer sheets from 517,000 students.

The protest, led by the Nepal Teachers’ Association, began during the crucial evaluation window. As a result, the entire process was pushed back, making it impossible to meet the NEB’s traditional three-month deadline.

However, the board is determined not to compromise on accuracy. In a move to address longstanding concerns over grading errors, NEB has overhauled its re-checking procedure this year. Previous methods involved random re-checking of only 20 percent of the answer sheets—a practice that reportedly caused thousands of students to receive incorrect marks in past years.

“Last year, many deserving students missed out on top grades due to flaws in the re-evaluation process,” Dr. Bhattarai said. “We have responded by instructing evaluators to carefully review every page of every answer sheet.”

The NEB has held training and orientation programs for both evaluators and re-checkers to improve quality control. While evaluators receive Rs 24 per paper, re-checkers are paid just Rs 6 per sheet—raising questions about compensation fairness amidst rising expectations for accuracy.

Despite the challenges, NEB Chairperson Dr. Mahashram Sharma emphasized that this year’s goal is to produce reliable results, even if it takes longer. “Students’ mental well-being is tied to these results. We are committed to getting them right,” he said.

As students and parents anxiously await the final results, the NEB’s commitment to reform and precision may offer some reassurance—though the wait continues.