Bhaktapur, July 3

National Examination Board is conducting Grade XI examinations for students who have completed Grade X from academic institutions affiliated to National Institute of Open Schooling of the Indian government in Nepal.

NIOS is an open schooling programme, which provides a number of vocational, life enrichment and community-oriented courses besides general and academic courses at the secondary and senior secondary levels. It has its own curriculum.

Under NIOC programmes, three subjects English, mathematics and science — are not compulsory and anyone completing education equivalent to Grade X is eligible to appear in Grade XII examinations without attending Grade XI.

However, under the Nepal government’s open schooling programme, English, mathematics and science are compulsory subjects.

Hence, the government had earlier decided not to give equivalence certificate to students passing Grade X under NIOS. But a few months ago, the Curriculum Development Centre on the recommendation of the Ministry of Education decided to allow them to study in Grade XI and XII in government institutions.

The Grade XI exams for students completing Grade X from academic institutions affiliated to NIOS will be held from July 13 to July 20. The examinations will be held from 7:00 am to 10:00 am.

Santosh Aryal, examination controller, NEB, today said the then Higher Secondary Education Board could not allow these students to sit for exams along with the other students of Grade XI as the government had not decided to give equivalent certificates to those students. HSEB had conducted the Grade XI exams from May 15 to 25.

Aryal said around 30 NIOS students would appear in the Grade XI examinations to be held at Sanothimi-based SOS Hermann Gmeiner School.