National 8 (Spotlight Weekly)

High Ambition Grim Hope

Although the officials expect a better pass rate in the 2004 SLC, the ambience in which the exam is being conducted is not encouraging

By THAKUR AMGAI

SLC examinees : Test of talent

Amidst all the difficulties the country is going through, the Ministry of Education has taken measures to improve the pass rate in SLC (School Leaving Certificate) - the high school examination in Nepal.

The ministry announced the decision last month that the provision of awarding grace marks has been re-introduced. According to officials at the Office of Controller of Examinations, the students failing in one subject only by less than five marks will be awarded the required grace marks to pass. Such a provision was in effect before the introduction of the new curriculum in 2002. The Controller's office has also taken improvement measures in the marking scheme.

"A zero will not be awarded to an attempted answer to a subjective question," said an official. The schedule for the examination had also been drafted in a student-friendly manner to adjust the apparently difficult subjects after a day's gap. Mathematics, English and Science – the subjects in which the number of failures is very high every year- each is after a holiday. The provision of retaking the exams for candidates who fail in up to two subjects within one month of the publication of the result is still in effect.

The ministry has been criticized for the persisting drop in the already low pass rate after the introduction of the new curriculum. The pass rate had been between 30 to 35 percent in the recent years compared to around 45 to 50 percent in the past.

Although the move has received a warm welcome from students and most of the teachers, some critics have accused the government for trying to veil its inability to improve standard of education in schools. Dr. Tirtha Khaniya, senior educationist, criticized the Ministry of Education for not improving the educational standards despite large investments from the foreign donor agencies.

The consequences of failure cannot be underestimated. Kumar Dhakal (name changed for anonymity) of Gorkha failed by getting 27 in Mathematics and 31 in Science in regular 2003. When he retook the examination later same year for the two papers he passed in Mathematics and got a meager 20 in Science this time. He could not be selected for an apprenticeship for waiter- a job that virtually does not require any knowledge of high school mathematics and science- in a five-star hotel just because he could not produce the SLC passed certificate.

Had their been provisions of awarding grace marks or not awarding a zero where the answer makes some sense he would have passed in the first attempt which would have opened avenues for several other opportunities.

"the new provisions will certainly reduce the number of students who would fail otherwise. However, we can’t but only hope that the pass rate improves. Given the disturbances in the educational sector throughout the year, it is very unlikely that the pass rate will really improve," said a high school teacher.

Like in previous years, students are facing a lot of problem for accommodation around the examination center. The woe was aggravated when the exam centers were limited only in district headquarters and cities due to security reasons.

More than 300,000 students are appearing for SLC this year in 915 exam centers. That is, on average, 300 students in one center. Not a large number for cities, but in most of the district headquarters they do not have place to accommodate 300 people at a time. Reports from far western region say students are forced to rent rooms in the Indian town of Dharchula to take examination in Darchula of Nepal.

The urban area is also not free from problems. The news of a prank played by a school principal in the capital rocked the educational circle on the first day of the examination. The Principal of Care Top Boarding School, Lagankhel had assured his students that they would be allowed for the examination even without the admit cards. However, when the students reached the examination center they were denied access. It was found that the school had been running without registration to run secondary classes. Right under its nose, the district education office was oblivious of the schools functioning for two years.