According to the Rules for Correcting Name, Surname, Age in Educational Certificate, Citizenship Certificate, etc., 2017, students are required to apply to the Chief District Officer (CDO) within 6 months of receiving their certificate to make any corrections. After 6 months, even the CDO will not be able to prepare a decision sheet, making it difficult for students to make any changes. This lack of knowledge about the rules and difficulty accessing relevant agencies is causing many students to face problems.
There are several reasons why students may need to make changes to their certificates. For example, street children, children in correctional facilities, and children in orphanages may not have accurate information on their names and dates of birth, which can cause problems when filling out registration forms. Additionally, if a woman marries again after having a child with her first husband, her children may fill out registration forms with the caste of their second father, but later take citizenship from their biological father's caste. Students are also coming to the board to correct the name, gender, and caste in their citizenship certificate according to different sexual identities.
However, making corrections to certificates is a time-consuming process, as individuals must provide proof and the CDO must make a decision and send a recommendation to the examination control office. The National Examination Board has attempted to amend the Age, Name, and Caste Correction Rules, 2017, but discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs have not yet resulted in any solutions.
To address these issues, the board has identified the issues that need to be amended and sent suggestions to the Ministry of Home Affairs, but the revision process is currently stuck. Meanwhile, the number of students coming with problems related to age, name, and caste is increasing, and the board has sent a letter with instructions on how to amend the procedures for correcting certificates.
NEB