Teachers bemoan low allowances for invigilating SEE exams

KATHMANDU: Teachers serving as invigilators in the ongoing Secondary Education Examination (SEE) have expressed disappointment over low allowances.

Kali Prasad Adhikari, the supervisor at the Himalaya Secondary School examination center in Ajirakot Rural Municipality-4 of Gorkha, said that teachers are reluctant to serve as invigilators due to inadequate allowances. “Teachers are doing this out of compulsion, not willingness. We have raised grievances with higher authorities, but our concerns have not been addressed,” Adhikari told Himal Press over the phone.

The government has been providing Rs 800 per day to the center chief, Rs 500 to the assistant center chief, Rs 350 to invigilators, Rs 300 to exam assistants, and Rs 150 each to office assistants and security personnel. However, after a 15% tax deduction, invigilators only receive Rs 297.5 per day, while office assistants and security personnel receive Rs 127.5 per day. All of them receive also receive Rs 150 for tiffin expenses, which is not taxed.

The examination lasts for three hours.

Keshav Dawadi, a teacher at Jeevan Jyoti Secondary School in Ajirakot, who served as an invigilator for three years during the 2010s, also criticized the low allowances provided to the workforce needed to conduct the examination. “A decade ago, we received only Rs 275 per day after taxes. The allowances given to teachers serving as invigilators in the SEE are demeaning,” he added.

Nanda Lal Paudel, the SEE controller at the Class 10 Examination Control Office, also expressed dissatisfaction with the daily allowances provided to various personnel involved in the examination process. He said that the board has repeatedly raised these concerns with the relevant ministry but to no avail. “The situation is embarrassing. The budget allocated by the ministry goes directly to the provinces. We have no say in the process,” Paudel said. “We have notified the authorities about the insufficient daily allowance, yet our concerns have been ignored. I feel ashamed myself,” he lamented.

Paudel said it is difficult to ask someone to work for three hours for a mere Rs 300. “It is difficult to justify three hours of work for Rs 300. However, since it falls within the responsibilities of teachers, we have appealed to the teachers for their cooperation,” Paudel said.