Parents Complain After Confiscated Mobile Phones Destroyed in Siraha

Kathmandu. Parents have complained of losing their important details after about five hundred mobile phones confiscated from examination halls in Siraha during the SEE held last Chaitra and Class 12 held last Baishakh were destroyed. Parents have complained that their repeated requests to the Siraha administration and the Education Development and Coordination Unit not to destroy the mobile phones were not heard. Instead, they said that an environment should have been created where mobile phones were not allowed inside the examination hall. However, they accuse confiscating and destroying mobile phones in this manner is irresponsible. Parent Tarkeshwor Yadav complained that even the photo of his nephew's birth certificate, which was saved on the mobile, was destroyed. Yadav said, 'After the document was lost, there was a photo of my nephew's birth certificate on the mobile. There were many photos taken when he was young. Everything is lost. It is difficult to get the birth certificate made.' Yadav said that the administration ignored his concerns. Yadav said, 'I met the principal at the secondary school Golbazaar, which was the examination center. I also went to the District Administration Office. But the administration did not pay any attention. They did not take our concerns seriously. They said they cannot return the mobile.' He said that he reached the Siraha District Administration Office two weeks after the examination ended. A student whose mobile was confiscated said, 'I was stressed for a day or two. I didn't feel like eating. My mobile had many numbers of relatives at home. I was very worried that my mother and father might say something. My uncle told me not to worry. He said he would buy me a mobile, and to forget about this matter.' Another parent complained that his son's mobile was confiscated even though he did not cheat. That parent said, 'My son told me after coming home that I didn't cheat. When the friend sitting on the same bench was caught cheating and taken away, mine was also taken. My son got scared and gave the mobile. In my opinion, if he had made a mistake by cheating, it would have been right to confiscate it. But it is very sad that the mobile was destroyed even though no mistake was made.' He complained that the photos and videos on the phone were also lost along with the destruction of the phone. Mahesh Prasad Chaudhary, Mayor of Lahan Municipality, said that parents have come to him with their complaints. He said, 'Some parents came to me and requested to give them a chance for once. I told them that we did not confiscate it, is there a rule to confiscate or destroy? This is a matter of the examination committee's decision.' Former President of the Teachers' Federation, Baburam Thapa, said that although it is natural not to be allowed to take mobile phones into the examination hall during exams, destroying the mobile phones themselves is a genocidal act. Last year, 11,037 students participated in the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) from Siraha. The Education Development and Coordination Unit informed that 10,625 students from the general stream and 412 students from the technical stream participated in the examination. Pushkar Gairpiplee, Information Officer of the Unit, informed that 65.44 percent of the regular students among the participants received a graded result.