Aug. 11: A crowd of students at the Office of the Controller of the Examination (OCE) of Tribhuvan University (TU) at Balkhu, Kathmandu has become a common sight every office day.Although the rise in positivity rate of the coronavirus across the country has led the government to tighten restrictions, students of various levels and faculties surround the office to get their academic certificates and other documents as the central office is the only go-to place for the same.

Despite the ordeals of seemingly endless waits faced by the students, the university seems reluctant in addressing the perennial problem.Students have to stand in queue not only at the administration section but also at the counters of Nepal Bank and Global IME banks standing on the premises of the office. Currently, students are queuing every day to fill in examination forms of Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) and in Political Science.

Rakshya Regmi, a master-level student of Public Administration, said she has no option to stay in queue for more than four hours to fill in the form of her first-year exam. Though she fears the coronavirus a lot, she is helpless as there is no online provision for it.

Regmi said that the students would surely breathe a sigh of relief if the TU adopted online system to fill up exam forms. Pusparaj Joshi, OCE controller, however, said that no more than 50 service seekers visit the office in a day. By contrast, this reporter found more than 200 students in a queue on Monday.Joshi added that the office was preparing for online payment method in an effort to streamline the process.

Commenting on the long lines of students, controller Joshi said the TU invites students to fill in their forms in physical presence only as many students are out of reach of online facility. He added that though the TU receives the examination forms even from its regional offices, crowds of students are seen only at the centre.

source: risingnepaldaily, 11 August 2021