By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Aug. 27: State Minister for Health and Population Umesh Shrestha has said that the Grade XII examinations can be conducted from mid-September as the government has started administering vaccines against coronavirus to all examinees.

Speaking at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Health on Thursday, Minister Shrestha said that the government had been arranging vaccines for all Grade XII students on a priority basis. He added that the government was providing Japan-donated AstraZeneca vaccines to the students.

“The government is coordinating with concerned bodies to conduct the examinations as soon as possible. It is also preparing to allow the students to sit for the examinations from home centers if there are enough candidates at a single place,” Shrestha said.

Giriraj Mani Pokharel, a member of the parliamentary committee and former Minister for Education, Science and Technology, said the examinations should be conducted as soon as possible.
The committee's chairperson Jaipuri Gharti directed the government to conduct the delayed examinations without any further delay by following the health safety protocol. She also asked the government to vaccinate all the students.

The committee has regularly been discussing the halted examinations and instructing the authorities to conduct them as soon as possible. The government postponed the examinations twice this year because of COVID-19. About 400,000 Grade XII students are waiting for their final examinations.
Earlier, the NEB postponed the examinations rescheduled for August 15.