There is a marked difference between the grades scored in the theory and practical exams
The results of the Class 12 examinations published on Tuesday portray a very bleak scenario, with nearly half the students failing. According to the National Examination Board (NEB), which administers the exams, 182,926, or 49.09 per cent, of the total regular students who appeared in the exams scored less than 1.61 GPA and were categorised as non-graded. This means they scored less than 35 out of 100, which prevents them from pursuing higher education unless they can improve their marks while reappearing for the exams in the subjects they have failed in. Altogether 372, 637 students had appeared in the regular Grade 12 examinations held across the country from May 9 to 19 this year. The results, though depressing, are a slight improvement over last year's when nearly 52 per cent of the students were non-graded. The number of students scoring a grade point average higher than 3.61 this year is 6,976, an increase by 2,797 over last year. Percentage-wise, students scoring 'A Plus', or belonging to the highest bracket, make up a mere 1.87 per cent. The NEB has divided the grades into seven categories.
The high percentage of failures means a colossal wastage of resources that are channeled into the education of the country's future citizens, whether they come from the government or personal pocket. The percentage of students failing the Grade 12 exams could have been much higher if the practical marks, given by the related school teacher, were not to be taken into account. There is a marked difference between the grades scored in the theory and practical exams. For example, only 1,717 students scored A Plus in Nepali language theory whereas as many as 183,000 scored A Plus in the practical exams. The same scenario repeats for all the other subjects. In English theory, just 1,078 students received an A Plus whereas 179,000 students scored an A Plus in the practical exams. Most of the students who failed, or were non-graded, could not make it through in English. Other subjects that they fared poorly were mathematics, social science and Nepali.
With the announcement of the Grade 12 results, colleges will start admitting students for the bachelor's programme in various disciplines. However, in keeping with the ongoing trend, if about a third of all students in the higher categories opt to go abroad for higher studies or even to work in the Gulf countries, many Nepali colleges will be left high and dry for lack of students. Or even if they manage to enroll students, they may not be the brightest. In the past few years, hundreds of colleges affiliated to Tribhuvan University have shut down or not renewed their affiliation in different subjects due to poor or zero enrollment of students. Even engineering and agriculture institutes are facing a dearth of students these days. What the results of the Grade 12 and Secondary Education Examinations (SEE), taken at the end of grade 10, indicate is that Nepal's education system needs a total overhaul. The results are an outcome of the indifference shown by successive governments to the education sector and heavy politicisation, especially in the recruitment of teachers.
Land policy scrapped
The government has backtracked from its own decision not to allow plotting of land without classifying it as per the Land Use Regulations-2022 following sluggishness in the overall economy. A cabinet decision held on Tuesday has allowed plotting of even non-classified land. The regulations had required the local levels to classify the land broadly into 10 categories as agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial, areas of mines, forest, river, lake, wetland, public use, cultural and archeological, and others. However, only 191 local levels have been able to classify land within their jurisdiction.
Land transaction had remained stagnant after the regulations came into force, causing a huge loss to government revenue, and such measures had also brought economic activities to a standstill. But with the Land Use Regulations-2022 withdrawn, even agricultural land will now be further fragmented for housing, and it will have long-term impact on food security. The land use policy was enforced after holding detailed discussions with experts and stakeholders. The land use policy will never be implemented when the government itself backtracks from its own decision, citing loss of revenue in the government coffers from land transactions.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 17, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
