Kanchan Pali from Padam Public Muktinarayan Secondary School in Doti came first in the district with a GPA of 3.96 in SEE.

She applied online to Kathmandu Metropolitan City to study science in grade 11. After passing the entrance exam, the city admitted her to Kathmandu Model College (KMC) Bagbazar. Kanchan said, “There is no fee in the college. It is a great opportunity for students who cannot afford to pay expensive fees to study for free.”

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has selected 3,801 meritorious and poor students like Kanchan and enrolled them in grade 11 in private schools. This is the data from the previous academic session. Every year, the same number of students get admission in private schools on scholarships. Students who have passed SEE from community schools have been given priority in scholarships. 

According to the city, 19,306 children are studying on scholarships in grades 1 to 10. The Education Act 2028 and the Education Regulations 2059 provide for scholarships to meritorious, poor, women, Dalits, indigenous peoples and students with disabilities.

There is a legal provision that even private schools must transparently select at least 10 percent of the total number of students and provide free scholarships. But the Ministry of Education in Singha Durbar, which oversees the education sector, was not able to implement this legal provision. The scholarships that Singha Durbar could not provide have been provided by Kathmandu Metropolitan City since 2080 BS. That too, targeting students from the meritorious, poor, and backward classes and communities who studied in community schools. 

The new constitution of 2072 BS had entrusted the responsibility of the school level to the local level. Balendra Shah was elected mayor in the 2079 BS local level elections. Scholarships have been implemented since the academic session 2080. 

According to Mayor Shah, 30,779 students got the opportunity to study on scholarships in schools within Kathmandu Metropolitan City in the academic session 2081 BS. "After the Metropolitan City made the scholarship system-based, 5,895 students have received girl students' scholarships, 1,322 Dalit scholarships, 455 disabled and residential scholarships," he wrote on social media. "In institutional (private) schools, 19,306 students from grades 1 to 10 and 3,801 students in grades 11 and 12 have received scholarships." The Metropolitan City has issued a procedure in 2080 for the distribution of scholarships in accordance with the Education Act and Rules. The procedure gives priority to 85 percent of students who have passed the SEE exam from community schools. Before that, private schools were distributing scholarships on a discretionary basis. Complaints of misuse by those with access to scholarships were intense.

Since 2080, the Metropolitan City has been providing scholarships on the basis of merit (qualifications and abilities) by conducting an integrated entrance exam for students admitted to private schools in grade 11. In which, priority has been given to providing free scholarships to students who have passed the SEE from community schools.

According to Metropolitan Education Branch Officer Netra Narayan Poudel, students who will receive scholarships are selected through examinations in grades 11-12 and by a committee including ward chairperson, school inspector and professor in grades 1-10. ‘Students who will receive scholarships are selected through examinations on the basis of merit,’ he said. 

The scholarship procedure issued by the metropolis has specified an open quota of 40 percent and a reservation quota of 45 percent. Only students who have studied in community schools can compete in both these quotas. Students who have permanent residence within the metropolis and those who have studied in community or private schools in landfill site-affected areas (Sisdol/Bancharedanda) get the opportunity in 9 percent. Students from all over the country who have studied in private schools in the remaining 5 percent can avail the scholarship facility.

Within the 45 percent reserved category, there are 33 female students, 15 indigenous/tribals, 12 Madhesis, 17 Khas Aryas, 9 Dalits, 2 Muslims, 4 Tharus, 2 disabled, 4 backward areas, 2 martyrs/missing persons, and 2 conflict-affected students. There is a provision that priority will be given to residents of the metropolis if the number is not available as specified in the reservation area. Achham, Kalikot, Jajarkot, Jumla, Dolpa, Bajhang, Bajura, Mugu and Humla districts have been designated as backward areas. According to the metropolis, even though they are backward districts, students who studied in private schools will not be allowed to compete for scholarships. According to the metropolis, this arrangement has been made because most of the children of the poor and disadvantaged study in community schools.

The model of the scholarship exam for subjects including MBBS in medicine has been implemented in the integrated entrance exam for the scholarship of the metropolis. The college has stated that students who studied for free in grade 11 at KMC on the scholarship of the metropolis have also been able to get their names in MBBS. 

Before conducting the integrated entrance exam, most local levels across the country, including Kathmandu Metropolitan City, had been conducting tests only by requesting details of scholarship distribution. Arrangements have been made for the distribution of scholarships to a committee consisting of school administrators, guardian representatives, and schools in coordination with the ward. But Kathmandu Metropolitan City has implemented the criteria for scholarship distribution by selecting students for classes 11/12. A notice is issued to apply for it. 

After the metropolis issued a procedure and started selecting students from the target group to receive scholarships, employees say that some local levels have also started a similar practice. ‘The practice of distributing scholarships by conducting an examination was started from Kathmandu Metropolitan City for the first time,’ said Education Officer Indra Prasad Dahal, ‘It has also been seen to be effective because of the transparent selection process.’

A 100-mark examination is conducted for scholarships in science, management, humanities, education, law and technical streams. There is a provision to ask 100 questions based on the syllabus of class 10. Arrangements have been made to check the answer sheets using an ‘OMR’ machine. After the results are published, the education department has stated that the college admission results list will be made public according to the examinees’ choices and priorities through ‘online matching’. 

The metropolis has also emphasized on the community school improvement program. The program "Garikhane Shiksha Mahanagarko Ichcha", "Book Free Friday" program, "Skill in Education" program, "Upgrading of Early Childhood Development Classes" and "Building Beautiful Schools" have been implemented. The metropolis has been allocating a budget of more than 3 billion rupees annually in the education sector. Last year, out of the 600 million rupees allocated for the "Garikhane Shiksha Mahanagarko Ichcha" program, only 51 million rupees or 8.4 percent was spent. According to the data, out of the 111.4 million rupees allocated for the golden scheme in the education sector, 43.2 million rupees or 38.8 percent were spent. 18,218 students from grades 4 to 8 participated in the "Book Free Friday" program. 5,111 students participated in the "Skill in Education" program. The metropolis has stated that early childhood development classes have been upgraded in 77 schools. Grant money was distributed to 82 schools for the construction of beautiful schools. The metropolis claims that after the upgrading of the Early Childhood Development Center, the attraction for child enrollment has increased, the number of students scoring higher in the SEE exam has increased, and the Book Free Friday program has increased children's creativity and skill development. The metropolis has also stated that the physical and environmental conditions of schools have improved through the Beautiful School Project, making schools clean, tidy, and green.