It is necessary to end the tendency to make specific exams a source of fear, making students feel that the exams held at every lesson, class, and level are equally important.
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There was a time when the academic and non-academic sectors used to be agitated over the ‘SLC’ (School Leaving Certificate) examination and results given at the end of the secondary level (Class 10). Students were under pressure for ‘SLC’ from the previous class onwards.
Schools used to spend all their energy on getting good ‘SLC’ results. Parents were concerned and worried about whether their children would pass or not, and if so, in which class they would be. Over time, the secondary level was expanded from classes 9 to 12. Now, no level ends at class 10 as before.
However, ‘SEE’ (Secondary Education Examination) has been conducted at the end of class 10. Although there is no examination in the name of ‘SLC’, the mentality associated with it persists, ‘SEE’ has also agitated the society equally. It is necessary to end the trend of making a particular exam a reference for fear, making students feel that the importance of the exams held in every subject, class and level is equal.
512,421 students are appearing in the SEE exam to be held from Thursday. Of these, 257,613 are female students, 254,811 are male students and 7 are other students, according to the Office of the Controller of Examinations. 23 students from Everest School in Japan are also appearing in the exam.
The exam, which will be held from 19th Chaitra, is scheduled to end on 29th Chaitra. Mainly, preparations are being made to publish the results of the exam within a month this year. With the preparations to publish the results within a month, the board has decided to arrange for the test of the answer sheets at the examination center itself. The answer sheets of the subjects after the exam will be tested at the examination center within 3 days and if it is not possible to test at the center, the answer sheets can be brought to the Education Development and Coordination Unit in the district on the day of the exam. In the context of the fact that it takes three months to publish the results, this time's effort will send a message of reform.
School education is divided into two levels: basic level and secondary level. Secondary level starts from 9th and ends with 12th. Therefore, there has been criticism for giving extra importance to the class 10 exam under various names. The constitution has also placed basic and secondary education in the list of local level rights.
However, national celebrations are still held in the name of SEE. What is the rationale for this nationwide exam to be held in class 10? Is it linked to the interests of students or in the interests of others? The government should clarify this in the coming days. Either it should establish the rationale, or this practice should be abolished. First, the meaning of making the class-based exam of students a national program in this way is weak. On the other hand, ‘SEE’ is not the end of any level. Even now, the fuss being made in the name of ‘SEE’ is nothing more than the decades-long fuss of ‘SLC’.
‘SEE’ should also be examined from the perspective of the learning opportunities available to students from different geographies. In prestigious schools in big cities including Kathmandu, there is an opportunity to learn more through extra classes along with textbooks. The investment made by parents and the educational environment provided by schools are also noteworthy. On the other hand, students in rural areas are not even able to complete the textbooks.
Due to the shortage of teachers and books, students in Karnali are forced to take the SEE after completing half the course. According to a study conducted in 110 schools by the Directorate of Education Development of Karnali Province in 2080, barely 60 percent of the course is completed by the end of the academic session.
The quality of education in Karnali is deteriorating due to the shortage of teachers and physical infrastructure, non-arrival of textbooks on time, and non-attendance of students and teachers in regular classes. Many schools are suffering from the inability to find teachers for the subjects considered to be core subjects, English, Science, and Mathematics. On the one hand, SEE has become a platform for competition between students who have access to every facility and on the other hand, students who do not have even the textbooks.
It is natural to expect that the SEE, which will be held from Thursday, will be successfully completed and that students will also perform well. But the state should take a decision after thinking seriously about some issues in the coming days. First, the rationale for the exam to be taken in grade 10 should be established or abolished. Second, rather than making any grade exam a national celebration, efforts should be made to increase class-specific or level-specific learning achievement.
Third, the state should address the right of students in remote areas to learn from subject-specific teachers. The government is responsible for formulating policies on how and what kind of programs to implement for that. However, the government should be clear that there should not be a huge gap in the learning opportunities available to students at the same level. Fourth, in remote areas, there is a compulsion to participate in the exam without completing the textbook. To end this, the government should also implement alternative measures. The textbook should be ensured to reach students quickly.
