Butwal, Jan. 24 -- Farhan Alam is a 10th grader at Jame Sirajul Uloom Al-Safia, a madrasa (Muslim educational institute) in Kapilvastu. But Alam may not be able to appear for the Secondary Education Examination this year, as his school is yet to receive permission from the Office of the Controller of Examinations to conduct the exams. Like Alam, the fate of 60 other students hangs in the balance.

Madrasas in Nepal used to be religious institutions until 2004 when the government started registering them and had them adopt the Nepali curriculum while allowing them to continue as institutions of religious learning. However, the federal government has only finalised the syllabi for grades four and five. The syllabi for grades 6 to 10 have be...