Bhaktapur: Students affiliated to All Nepal National Free Students Union, the CPN-UML student wing, today demanded that Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) allocate 10 per cent scholarship for aspiring SLC graduates.

They also warned they would halt HSEB scholarship examination scheduled for July 23 if it failed to fulfil their demands.

Currently, every plus two college has been allocating five per cent seats of the total for scholarship, where three per cent is given to students of community schools selected by HSEB and two per cent to students selected by private colleges.

ANNFSU-Bagmati Special Committee led by its president Madhav Dhungel today handed over a memorandum to HSEB Vice Chairman Hem Kumar Mishra demanding five per cent scholarship to students from community schools and five per cent to poor, hardworking, marginalised students from private schools.

Establishment of plus two community science colleges in each constituency, uniformity in fee structure in higher secondary schools, credibility of HSEB examination, its management and result publication and proper management of physical infrastructure of community plus two colleges are among other demands.

Dhungel said, “HSEB should be working to implement past agreements with students and government as well as to eliminate all kinds of anomalies in higher secondary education sector.”

Radhika Khatiwada, chief, education department, ANNFSU, said HSEB should hold meeting with the concerned to take decisions on allocating quotas for scholarship.

She said, “If HSEB fails to talk to them and come to some conclusion, we will resort to protest,” adding, “If scholarship examination is halted, HSEB will be responsible.”

ANNFSU also formed a five-member talks team, which included Khatiwada, Nawaraj Poudel, vice president Sashinath Acharya, chief of Bagmati Bureau Dinesh Acharya and Bhim Bahadur Rawal, central committee member.

Meanwhile, Mishra said that HSEB would be sitting with the students and higher secondary school founders to discuss the demands before taking a decision.

Narayan Koirala, spokesperson, HSEB said some of the demands had to be discussed with the Education Ministry, therefore they could not take decision promptly.

Yuba Raj Sharma, general secretary of Higher Secondary Schools Association of Nepal said that it was impossible to provide 10 per cent scholarship to plus two students.

source: The Himalayan Times(2011),"Union seeks 10 pc HSEB scholarship ", The Himalayan Times,18 July 2011