To print SLC papers, confidential documents

Kathmandu, March 29:

Come next year, the government will have its own ‘security press’ in the country for the first time. The three-year-old plan to set up the same was on the priority list under the Secondary Education Support Programme (SESP).

Rs 16 crore, 10 lakh for the project is being funded by the Asian Development Bank(ADB) and Danida. While the ADB has provided 55 per cent of the funds as soft loan, Danida has provided the rest as a grant.

“The security press is being installed for printing question papers for the School Leaving Certificate and other examinations and other confidential documents,” chief of the Physical Service Department, Department of Education, Shambhu Prasad Upreti, told this daily today. “If all goes as planned, we will have the press by next year,” he added.

After the press is set up, the government will not have to rely on neighbouring countries for printing question papers and other confidential government documents and will eventually save funds. The government has been printing the SLC question papers in India for the past many decades, except last year when the question papers worth Rs 2 crore were printed at the government-owned printing house, Janak Sikshya Samagri Kendra (JSSK). However, following a leak of the SLC papers last year, the Controller Office this year again had them printed in India.

The government spends Rs 50 lakh for printing the SLC papers, Rs 1 crore for the answer sheets and Rs 50 lakh for the mark sheets, examination forms and certificates.

The government has already invited tenders from machine suppliers and for the installation. The last date for submitting the tender forms is April 12.

General manager of JSSK, Ram Prasad ‘Pradeep’, said the ‘security press’ would be installed at the JSSK premises, but will have a separate building. “The building is under construction and the JSSK will do the needful,” he said. The press will also be used to print ballot papers and textbooks.

Security at the press will be tight and only authorised persons will be allowed inside the building after their fingerprints are verified. It will also have a Close Circuit TV.

The press will have two sets of machines just in case one stops working, Upreti said.