School Leaving Certificate (Nepal)

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The School Leaving Certificate, commonly abbreviated as SLC,^[1] is the final examination of Class 11 and Class 12, which is also known as the +2 course in Nepal.^[2] The +2 course is generally pursued after completing the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) (Class 10 Final Exam).

The SLC examinations are the most important examinations in the educational system of Nepal for building an academic career. The government expects that the SEE examination will help the country increase its literacy rate.

The SLC (Class 11 and 12) and SEE (Class 10) examinations are normally scheduled from April to June each year. The examinations are conducted by the National Examination Board (NEB), located in Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Until 2016, SLC was the Grade 10 final examination, famously known as the "iron gate"^{[citation needed]}. However, after 2016, the Grade 10 examination was replaced with the Secondary Education Examination (SEE). Every student must take the SEE examination before joining higher secondary or intermediate level education (Class 11th and 12th grade, also known as +2 Course). This +2 Course is equivalent to the GCE and SEE is equal to the GCSE - the academic qualifications in England.

Nepal was formerly divided into five development regions and seventy-five districts, each with multiple examination centers. While examination questions varied from one region to another, they remained consistent within each individual region. This meant that if an exam were to be canceled, only one region would be affected, and only the questions for that specific region would need to be prepared. Examinations are conducted simultaneously nationwide. Different centers are designated for students from different schools.

The results are typically published by the Examination Control Board about two and a half to three months after the examinations. Students are categorized into five divisions based on their scores.

Despite the relatively low passing threshold for the examination, many students, particularly those attending government schools in rural areas of Nepal, still fail the exam every year due to its level of difficulty. Government schools are often perceived as providing less rigorous education compared to private schools, resulting in government school students being reportedly less likely to pass the exam. Students who fail to score above 40 marks in each subject are declared failed. The outcome of the SLC holds significant importance for individual students, as those with high percentages can qualify for various scholarships for their higher secondary level education.

The Government of Nepal has introduced a new system for the SLC, which has both advantages and disadvantages in its implementation. While the new system reduces the number of students failing the exam, those with low Grade Point Index (GPI) face challenges in gaining admission to higher-level studies. This aspect of the education system has received significant criticism.

Some educationalists in Nepal criticize the SLC exam, arguing that it lacks importance in the present context, leading to its replacement by SEE. They assert that the tests are neither standardized nor capable of assessing the capacity of Nepalese children. Education experts have been urging the government to review and revise the SLC examinations for the past three decades. However, they claim that the government continues to operate using the same old mechanism, which they believe will persist for several more decades. Additionally, they express concern over the lack of a consistent trend in SLC examination results, making the School Leaving Certificate results unreliable.^[3]

In 2010, the mathematics question paper was leaked in Bajang, Kailali, Sunsari, Bara, and Banke districts.^[4] There was significant criticism after the question paper of SEE 2019 in Province No. 2 was leaked before the exam day. The government postponed and even retook the exam from the previous day.^[5] It was believed that the paper was leaked and went viral through different social sites and free video calling applications like IMO. The SEE Security Committee, chaired by Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel, made a decision and handed the case to the CIB for investigation.^[5]