Nepal's SEE Examinations Begin Nationwide with New Efficiency Measures

Kathmandu. Nepal's Secondary Education Examination (SEE) begins simultaneously across the country this Thursday. The National Examination Board has announced a special strategic plan to make this year's examination more organized, technology-friendly, and result-oriented compared to the past.

More than 512,000 students are participating in this year's SEE, including those at international centers. The board stated that it is implementing a 'decentralization of answer sheet evaluation' and 'speed in results' practice. Considering the students' future and time, the government is preparing to publish the results within one month of the examination's conclusion.

New Action Plan to Deliver Results Within One Month

Minister of Education, Science and Technology Sasmit Pokharel has been making decisions claiming to reform the education sector since taking office. According to a joint secretary at the ministry, he directed the publication of results within one month of the exam, citing that delays in SEE results have disrupted the academic calendar and increased mental stress among students.

To implement this directive, the National Examination Board has changed the traditional style of answer sheet evaluation starting this year. In previous years, it was customary to send answer sheets from one province to another and evaluate them at secret centers. This used to consume a lot of time in transportation and coordination. However, this year, the board has decided to evaluate answer sheets at evaluation centers within the same region where the examination was held.

According to SEE Controller of Examinations Tukraj Adhikari, the priority is to publish the results as quickly as possible. He stated that keeping the ministry's directive and student welfare in mind, they decided to establish evaluation centers based on the respective district or region. The board expects this to save time on transporting answer sheets and expedite the process through the direct involvement of local teachers.

Special Vigilance on Security and Quality

The board has already addressed concerns that evaluating answer sheets at examination centers could raise questions about security and impartiality. According to Controller Adhikari, if a subject teacher is unavailable at a center or if it appears sensitive from a security perspective, the answer sheets from such centers will be transferred to another secure location in coordination with the Education Development and Coordination Unit.

'We have created a flexible yet secure mechanism. Where there is a shortage of teachers or it feels unsafe, the answer sheets will be immediately moved to another center,' he said.

Over 500,000 Students, Center in Japan Also

According to board data, a total of 512,421 students have filled out forms for the examination. The number of female students is 257,613, while the number of male students is 254,801. Additionally, 7 other-gender students are participating in this year's SEE. The board noted that the higher number of female students compared to males sends a positive message about the increasing access to women's education in Nepal.

This year, 23 students from the Everest School in Japan are also participating in the SEE examination. The board stated that arrangements have been made to conduct the examination for children of the Nepali community in Japan by coordinating between local time and Nepal time. A total of 1,966 examination centers have been designated across the country and in Japan.

Virtual Dialogue Between Minister and District Coordination Units

On the eve of the examination, a virtual meeting was held on Wednesday between Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel, officials of the National Examination Board, and the heads of Education Development and Coordination Units from all 77 districts. In that meeting, all districts reported that examination preparations were 100 percent complete.

According to Controller of Examinations Adhikari, question papers and answer sheets have reached all centers. The appointment and orientation of center superintendents have been completed, and they have been deployed to their duty stations. He mentioned that teams from the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have also taken charge of security, and the examination will begin at 8:00 AM.

Schedule Postponed Due to Elections

Actually, according to the academic calendar, this examination should have been held in the first week of Chaitra. However, due to the House of Representatives by-election held on Falgun 21 and other technical reasons, the examination date was pushed to Chaitra 19.

Although the examination started late, the board plans to bring the academic session back on track by releasing the results quickly.