Kathmandu, March 21:

Office of the Controller of Examinations (OCE), Sanothimi, has appealed to all the political parties and their student wings not to announce any protest programmes during the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examinations slated to begin from March 27.

Controller Gajendra Lal Pradhan requested the civil society, political parties, business houses, security personnel, employees and parents to help run the SLC examinations in a peaceful environment.

“Ten years’ effort of a student should not be wasted,” said Pradhan in a press release issued here today.

A total of 332181 students are appearing in the examination with 26,0047 regular students and 72134 from exempted group, the release said. The examination will start from 7.30 am till 10.30 from March 27 till April 5. It has fixed a total of 994 examination centres throughout the nation with 994 superintendents, 1988 assistant superintendents, 16609 supervisors, 14910-security personnel and 5803 helpers totalling to 40304 hands to run the SLC exams.

Meanwhile, Child NGO Federation-Nepal (CNFN) today welcomed the Maoists’ withdrawal of bandh, blockade and general strike targeted to affect the upcoming SLC examinations, a statement issued by the CNFN said. The children should be kept away from all kinds of

violence, it said. The explosives placed in front of Mahakabi Devkota High School in Nawalparasi district a week ago has forced the students to attend schools under terrified atmosphere. The incidents of unclaimed bomb in Dhankuta and clashes between the Maoists and the security forces in Kavrepalanchowk have worried CNFN, according to the release.