Kathmandu, October 15:

The Federation of Private Technical Schools (FPTS) today formed an 11-member examination

committee to conduct entrance tests on their own after the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) delayed the publication of the schedule for Technical School Leaving Certificate (TSLC) exams due to its lockout.

The special national meeting of FPTS held yesterday and today formed the exam panel under the coordination of Durga Prasad Upreti after the Education Ministry failed to lift the lockout. The meeting decided to hold entrance tests in all the private institutions on October 17.

The TSLC examination had to be conducted on August 27 but the CTEVT has not published the exam schedule yet. An official at the CTEVT, requesting anonymity, said the move of the FPTS would create further problems, as only CTEVT has the authority to screen technical students. “If private institutions, which are responsible for enrolling students, start conducting exams on their own, the exam might lose its authenticity,” he said.

The employees have locked the CTEVT offices for the last 42 days, demanding resignation of officials who were responsible for suppressing the people’s movement in April. The FPTS said around 20,000 students have applied for the entrance tests. The meeting was attended by 117 owners from 95 institutions. According to a press release issued here today, the federation had to take the step as differences between the Education Ministry and CTEVT would hamper the students.