Kathmandu  - The results of the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) conducted at the end of Class 10 of 2024 were out last week. About 48 percent of the students are qualified to be promoted to Class 11. the news was carried by  all the media in the country. It was mentioned in the news that out of some 464K(=thousand) students who took the exam, only 222K are qualified to be enrolled to Class 11. According to the results, almost 178K students have scored NG (nongraded i.e. not suitable even for minimum pass marks) in compulsory mathematics. Apart from girls and boys, 12 people from 'other' groups i.e. stduents who have not defined gender denominations, who gave the exam  four  got the grades. The National Examination Board (NEB) this time, devised the category of  'non-graded' to those examinees who do not get the minimum marks in all the subjects.

According to news, the process of revising the letter grading guidelines has started so that the students who came to NG, but did not take the exam even after filling the exam application form, can take the exam again. There was news that the MoEST has decided to allow students who have obtained NG grades in more than two subjects in SEE to appear in the 're-examination' as many students will be deprived of their studies. There was a discussion in the media about the poor results of the SEE examination of various public schools. There was news that Member of Parliament from Nepali Congress Party, Tejulal Chaudhary (who is also a proprietor of one of large private schools) has demanded special arrangements for mathematics, English and science teachers in the House of Representatives. 

There was also news that students not satisfied with the result of SEE, they can apply online for 're-totaling' (does not mean re-checking of papers)  has also been arranged.

After the SEE result of the public school was low this year too, as always, blaming each other has started. Other stakeholders are trying to get away by putting the blame solely on teachers. No one concerned or his group has come out to take the responsibility. It is also learned that some municipalities have zero results - none of the students passed. The municipality or its federation have taken responsibility although they have been expressing their dissatisfaction for federal authorities for breaching their right to manage school level education . Private school proprieters have taken the opportunity to make public schools look very weak. The management of private schools that run 11th-12th Classes are reported to worry that the number of students enrolling to those grades are to decrease. 

Even after the constitution defines the school level to Class 12, the SEE (its predecessor used to be called School Leaving Certificate) is continued to conduct in Class 10 whereas the final school exam should be conducted at the end of Class 12. Why and for whom it is needed to maintain the status quo and preserve the pressure and terror of SEE? This is question constantly being raised and no satisfactory answer has been found other that it benefits the authorities under different guise - printing of question papers, marking answer papers, secuity the maintenance of the whole system.

The proportion of students who did not get the minimum marks this time has shown that there has been no improvement of the results in the last ten years. The result of the year 2014 and this year's result are at the same level. Like 10 years ago, the results of Mathematics, English and Science subjects are poor this year too. There is still rampant shortage of subject teachers at the secondary level in public schools. Why not the government is taking responsibility to provide teachers? It's absurd that the government neither supplies teachers nor provides necessary cost of operation, makes a hue and cry for raising money by enthusiastic schools. (Cannot be called 'fee' as its prohibited by the word of law) That Could at least a part of the cost of administering SEE be offset to get subject teachers. 

Every year the SEE exam is conducted, public schools get poor results, teachers and the government are criticized, main issues that need to be discussed and debated are ignored even by the media after few days of the publication of results. There is a need for discussion and debate about the rationale for continuing SEE examination and examination system as a whole. The question of how long the government should continue to indulge in the colonial system of examination and its terror should be discussed. 

Although there is a discussion about the fact that a three-hour memorization-based test exam alone cannot measure the student's learning achievement, there is not much discussion about the need to change the exam system itself. If we talk about memorization-based exams, it can be assumed that the learning gap will appear for many more years. Even the effect of COVID-19 will be visible for  few years. This should also be taken into account in the analysis.

Although not directly responsible for the results of SEE this time, instead of raising questions and correcting the issues raised here, the Minister of MoEST appears prepared to move forward in a reactionary way to maintain the status quo as if she is the guardian of the incompetence of the staff of her ministry and  teachers. It is astonishing that how students who have failed the examination are able to re-appear in the exam in about a month's time. It proves that the drama of re-examination is going to be the 'white washing' of low grades in not-so-well thought earlier examination system in different guise. Why such a system was adopted without gauzing expected results? Are not the architectures of the systems are failed ? 

There was also news about the study after SEE. Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Department of Education has called for  an online application for students who want to study in class 11 on the scholarship has to be provided by the private educational institutions operating in  the Metropolitan City. 

Tribhuvan University (TU), Service Commission in the year 2077 announced that the advertisement demanded by the professors was postponed due to the protest of the student organizations. Last week, there was news that an interview for the post of professor in the Department of Sociology was conducted amid tight security.

It was reported that a bill to make Tilganga Eye Hospital an Eye University has been introduced in the National Assembly. Similarly, there was news that Prof. Dr. Sudeep Acharya, Prof. Dr. Guru Khanal, Prof. Dr. Sujanbabu Marahatta and Prof. Dr. Sarala Shrestha had accepted the appointment for the directors of the Medical Education Commission, and assumed the duties. 

MoEST Sumana Shrestha, answering a question raised in the House of Representatives about keeping the education sector free from party politics, said that the laws made before she became a minister, have paved way for keeping education free from party political interference, the news mentioned.

Census 2021 showed that the literacy rate exceeded 76 percent; the Nepal Living Standards Survey 2022/2023 showed that the literacy rate of Nepal was more than 77 percent, according to Onlinekhabar news. It was mentioned in the news that the male literacy rate is 86 percent and the female literacy rate is 70 percent.

There was news that Roshi Rural Municipality of Kavre and Kamalamai Municipality of Sindhuli have announced 'compulsory and free education'. With the announcement free and compulsory education, the children of those municipalities do not have to pay any fees for education, mentioned in the news.

Such effort are being done in some municipalities under a funding from the Provincial Government. Experience has shown that nothing much other than spending the grant has happened afterwards.
In an article written by Sabitra Pandey in Gorkhapatra entitled 'Psychology of Students and Teachers', it was mentioned that praise can be a suitable alternative to physical and mental torture given to children at home or school.

Tej Binod wrote in Onlinekhabar news portal that going to America is not 'easy' for foreign students. The conclusion of his article is that if children are going to be sent abroad, they should be sent only making them skilled to do their own work like cooking, washing etc. and after at least completing under graduate from Nepal will not suffer much. He wrote that it is the most difficult thing to study under graduate in America.

There was news in Kantipur that instead of punishing the culprit involved in the incident of missing the answer sheets of about 500 undergraduate students from the examination control office, the Vice-Chancellor and other officials of TU have protected them. The inquiry committee had recommended action against exam controller Pushpa Raj Joshi, co-controller Suresh Jung Shahi and Pawan Baral for negligence in the loss of the answer sheet, quoted the news.

Often the news of human error is blown out of proportion and the main issue is  ignored. First thing is to distinguish whether it was intentional or 'humane error'. Errors happen in any profession whether flying a jet plane or cooking in the kitchen. 

Aruna Upreti has written an article in Onlinekhabar with the conclusion that learning will not improve with changing their uniforms in public schools. She said that blue pants, skirts and shorts should be worn following the government uniform codes for public schools and if the MoEST can't look into such a small matter, there is no point in talking big.

The purpose of this news review is to classify and synthesize the educational content of the week and provide objective comments from the point of view of social justice and creative padagogy to the policy makers and stakeholders in one place. In this joint effort of Center for Education Policy and Practice (CEPP) and Edukhbar, the news of daily newspapers Kantipur, Gorkhapatra and The Himalayan Times, online news portals Online Khabar, Setopati and Ratopati and Himalaya TV and Nepal Television from 22-28 June 2024 are covered - Editor.

Read last week's content : Last week in education 

Read it in Nepali : शिक्षकको टाउकोमा दोष हालेर अरु पन्छिने प्रयत्नमा !