I think SLC result is momentous for a student’s future. It is the fruit that we achieve after a long cultivation of 10-12 years. Whatever knowledge we attain during our school life, it’s all determined by the SLC. As such it is just not a hype but it is a great achievement and the path to move forward in the right direction. It is one forward step toward achieving our goal.

This achievement that we attain can be useful in each and every step of life. For example, if we have to find any job we should submit the certificate of SLC result along with other higher levels. So I think the SLC and its result is really a milestone for the future.

— Sushil Paudel, Ghattekulo, Kathmandu

With SLC result, students, their friends and family are rejoicing that a milestone has been crossed. It was a tremendous relief after a long agonising wait. Their arduous journey to the SLC examinations has been completed but it doesn’t end here. When one journey ends, another begins. With the SLC under their belt, the teens have to look forward to — “What next? What subject to pursue in higher education and which college to join?”

The students have their own goals for their future and are also willing to work assiduously to get there. And this is an important juncture where students require careful contemplation and serious deliberation to move ahead.

— Bidyaaz

In present context, SLC and its result can’t be considered as milestone for future in reality. It can be considered as a first step towards higher education. SLC can be taken as a recognised initial academic certificate for jobs. Because time had changed. Educational facilities of higher education have improved in the country and people are aware of it. Education and economic scenario have changed drastically and job market demands highly educated candidates with good knowledge including technical knowledge and higher degrees.

SLC had great value some 40 to 50 years ago due to lack of education facilities in small town and villages. It was significant in getting a job during that period.

— Shree Ram Aryal, Biratnagar

I think SLC has always been a hype. Those are just a set of exams like that of any other levels. Every exam in a student’s life contributes to the milestone for future. But it is saddening that the whole country goes abuzz with SLC results whereas, it rarely happens with other higher degrees. A good student gets good grades in all the levels and not just SLC. A person shouldn’t be judged with the SLC result. And failure in a single exam should not hamper his/her entire educational journey.

— Sagina Maharjan, Purnachandi, Patan

I am one of the students to pass SLC 2071 with distinction. However, I think SLC results are unfair. Given that the students work hard the whole year and SLC is considered as ‘Iron Gate’, students are not evaluated and the checking as well as entry of marks of SLC examination is haphazard. Students who give their best are not always the ones to get the best results, whereas those who don’t work get more percentage. If SLC results were to be fair, then there wouldn’t be a large number of students to file application for ‘re-totaling’. I think it has rather become a hype due to the unnecessarily high importance attached to it by our society. That is why, we get to hear cases of suicides every year.

Also, students getting distinction in SLC are heard failing in the terminal exams of Grade XI. This shows that SLC is just a base and doesn’t deserve such priority. And so, it is not really a milestone for the future.

— Drishti Maharjan, Kumbeswor, Lalitpur

Unlike developed countries, Nepali students enjoy college life in the next academic level after Class X. So passing SLC examination is a gateway to college life. This makes SLC more crucial and passing it with competitive percentage has become a trend. SLC result is that milestone which motivates students to continue his/her further studies with the same dedication and passion and achieve his/her career goal. Therefore, SLC result is a ‘Visa’ to achieve career goals in my view.

— Rabina Gurung, Narayan Basti, Satungal

I don’t think SLC and its result is really a milestone for future in today’s modern world. Students who score low marks can do better after SLC. In the past, SLC was very important as it was considered the best achievement in life. But the situation now is totally different. Those who can’t succeed in the first attempt, can appear for re-examination so that they can achieve success. In this sense, SLC is nothing and we should not take it too hard.

— Anonymous

In my opinion, SLC and its result is a milestone. It is only after passing SLC that students can go for further studies and choose their subjects.

— Aishwarya Rai, Golfutar, Kathmandu

Thousands of students take SLC examination every year. SLC is an examination conducted by Government of Nepal to certify that you have successfully completed 10 years of schooling education in Nepal. Therefore, SLC Examination is the end of your 10 years of schooling. It is very important part in your life as after passing SLC, you can think of continuing your higher education. In Nepal, most of the jobs are open for people who have at least passed SLC. From that perspective, SLC is an important milestone in anyone’s life.

However, SLC has been over hyped as ‘Iron Gate’. Students are told to work hard, study all the time as SLC is a difficult examination that tries to gauge 10 years of your education. But I feel its result is not the end.

I remember the days I took SLC three years ago. I was told and reminded all the times that it is the toughest examination and how to behave and sit in examination hall. In the end, I felt it was just another examination with undue hype created around it.

— Shubham Agrawal, Maisthan, Birgunj

SLC is definitely a start and the result might influence college admissions but it is not the single criteria on which students should be judged. SLC is just one of the first of many important examinations that a student will be taking in his life. Thus, even if you get an unsatisfactory SLC result, one should not feel sad because there will be more examinations in the future which actually matter.

— Amish Regmi

SLC is considered the iron gate to higher education. Students get to choose the subject of their interest and enroll in reputed college for quality and standard education after this examination. Several colleges offer scholarship and extra-facilities for talented students. The marks obtained by them determine which subject to choose and their career too. So, I agree it’s a milestone for higher education because if they score good marks, they will be motivated to succeed further. It would also add zeal to study well in higher levels. However, there are more important exams in life and one shouldn’t forget failure is the key to success.

— Pawan Ram Lamichhane

Obviously it is a milestone which drives students toward his/her future. Strong desire of learning and becoming doctor or engineer by the student of a poor family is not possible without the excellent results in SLC. So, it can really be a milestone for the hard working students belonging to economically poor families. But for the worthy son or daughter from a wealthy family, SLC can be a hype as they can offer huge sum of money for their child for their further studies abroad.

— Anjana Shakya, Bijeshwori, Kathmandu

Now-a-days we see that scoring distinction has become a trend. In our days 75 per cent was considered really good while 80 per cent and above was considered outstanding. A student in my neighbourhood always failed in the rest of the grades but she scored distinction in SLC. Then she was considered as a very good student. She she took Science and finally failed her +2 exams.

Even after SLC, a student has to go through many other examinations to pursue achieve further degrees and s/he is judged by the marks obtained in all these degrees and not just of SLC. So, scoring big only in SLC is not really a landmark, but scoring better marks in all levels is rather a landmark. What is important is a good/potential student is capable of learning, understanding and implementing the knowledge in his/her practical life.

— Smriti Dahal, Pepsicola

Parents, relatives and teachers really pressure students for good grades in SLC. SLC appearing students themselves feel really nervous for their exams. But SLC is not everything while every exam in life is important. Moreover, they cannot be judged on the basis of three hours exams. Students need to prove their talent practically. So, in my view SLC and its result is just a hype because the real journey starts after SLC. And there is always a second chance for improvement.

— Asmita Rajopadhyaya

I could never figure out why people create a hype about SLC and its results. Whenever I think of SLC examinations, I walk down the memory lane some 15 years back and remember the word ‘Iron Gate’. Now, I realise how false the truth was that I was made to believe in. The so-called gate never existed nor did my fate depend on the gate. Exams are one of the many ways to evaluate a person’s ability but focusing on just a single exam puts more strain on the examinee rather than developing him or her as a person. SLC like other exams is a simple three hour test that measures your capacity to write what gets into your head within the time period. It can never define you and your ability to perform. Our education system produces robots with all possible data in the head but never teaches you how to be a person of value. SLC is the most hyped exam with no real existence that can affect one’s career, life or creativity. Rather than putting all our efforts in this simple exam format, we should focus more on other attributes of human life like creativity, ethics, attitude, self realization, morality and ethics.

— Shailesh Sharma

It is both. Any student has to clear their SLC exam to be admitted in a college for their his/her higher studies. Considering this fact, it really is the milestone for the future. It has been hyped in the sense that real studies or real test starts only after passing the SLC level. Only now can the students decide what they want to be and put in the required efforts to make their ambition come true in the future.

— Sagar Bohara, Nayabasti, Jorpati

Most of us have been through that stage called ‘SLC’ which seems to be the milestone for our future. But I disagree that it is the ultimate future deciding phase. The importance that SLC has got is basically due to the transformation that the students believe to take place from secondary to higher secondary level. There is a difference between you being at school and college. You are no more a school boy or girl who needs to study an entire course of everything included in it. Then you get to choose your field of education. This is especially important to parents, as they believe this is where they come to know what their children will become in future. But being a person who has already passed through several other gates stronger and sturdier than SLC, I believe it has less of significance unlike what we think. Nevertheless, SLC is the first step that students have to pass through to get exposed to the outer world, to decide on their choice of study, their interest and so on. Hence, being the first thing in life, SLC still is and will be considered as ultimate milestone for future.

— Binaya Shrestha, Kamalbinayak, Bhaktapur

I don’t think that SLC is a milestone for the future. It’s just that we have given it more value and named it the ‘Iron Gate’. Scoring in SLC exam just don’t mean that we have achieved everything. There are many more obstacles which will come, where we need to score more. Many people think that scoring distinction will land them great job in their future but +2 exams are more difficult. If we can score in +2 exams, then only we can think of doing great things! But scoring well in SLC means we get to join good colleges which can provide good education. That is all!

— Ashisha Neupane, Ranibari, Kathmandu

A few of our public figures have shown that SLC is not the be-all and end-all. We salute those members of 601 including ministers who have gained access to the CA Assembly without SLC degree. I understand that there are quite a few. This was unimaginable a few decades ago. Then we have people like Rishi Dhamala and Rekha Thapa who are epitome of success in their respective fields — without SLC degrees according to public reports.

So, if you want to carve a niche for yourself, you do not necessarily need a SLC degree. You can excel in your chosen fields like sports, arts and music et cetera. Of course, you can do well in both SLC and other areas which would be the icing on the cake.

— J Talchabhadell, Bhaktapur

People usually believe that SLC is the Iron Gate or a big thing. But I don’t think this is truly so big. Now time has changed, situation has changed. Previously it was a great deal to pass SLC. At present, it is just a hype as people think that it will really change someone’s career and future. SLC is just one important step every student has to go in his/her career. There is so much a every student goes through in life. If s/he does well in SLC, there is no guarantee that a student do well in future. Mostly, traditional way of thinking and media have made it huge which is completely wrong in my view.

— Kes Bahadur Pun, Pokhara Simapni

SLC is important as people can pursue their subject of their choice and continue to increase knowledge in that particular subject after the its result is out. Other than that, SLC is not as important as the emphasis it is given. As you pass SLC and move on to +2 level and then to Bachelors and so on, you will realise that the results do not matter as much as the development of your personality and your growing capabilities will matter. This does not mean that you don’t have to pass the exam. But what is important is that you should understand the subject matter and gradually develop your thinking capabilities along with your skills. So, according to me, SLC and its result is only a hype because it is the initial stage while the major stages are yet to come. Moreover, the important thing is you being able to lead a financially independent life by using your skills which SLC results do not guarantee.

— Anonymous

I don’t think SLC result is a milestone of our life. This result doesn’t determine our skill and knowledge. We have many examples who has failed in SLC but achieved success later on. We know that comedian Haribansha Acharya passed SLC in his third attempt. We write what we have learned in school in SLC exams but the skills that we have don’t come across in the paper. During exam period, there might be other circumstances which can spoil our exam. There also might be errors during paper checking. And life is beyond the marks we get. We might be good in music, dance or other different things. We should not take SLC result as the end point of our life. We should take it as initial point of our new life and should take a positive start.

— Anonymous

The SLC result has been finally announced. Some students are ecstatic while some are lamenting. And we have also heard about suicides. But everyone should understand that SLC is not the only mission of life and we have to do lots before we die. Sooner or later, we will realise that the marks one achieves does not really matter and it is only actually helpful in getting into +2 college. Not even half of the these students are able to maintain their position thereafter. SLC is thus a mere staircase of life but not the ultimate goal of life.

— Namuna Joshi, Aloknagar, Kathmandu

How can SLC and its result become a milestone for the future? Is it the be-all and end-all of life? Certainly not. Of course one should try to garner as many marks as possible, but one should never lose hope in case of an unsatisfactory result. A team can go on to win a cricket match even if it loses a wicket with the score still on zero, provided the players do not lose their hearts and keep their spirit high. Similarly, an unsatisfactory result in SLC examination will count little if the student does not get disheartened and vows to fare better in subsequent stages. Innumerable people exist in the world who have got established in their respective careers despite faltering a bit during school leaving examination.

But unfortunately parents and a large section of the media have indeed transformed a mere examination into a massive hype. It seems that those who have fared well have touched the sky, thereby consigning the poor performers to a severe stage of depression which often lead to suicides as well.

It is high time teachers, parents and media counsel the students that in the larger examination of life, there comes umpteen opportunities to prosper and shine. So they should be advised to lead their lives with heads held high and hearts without fear.

— Kajal Chatterjee, Kolkata, India

It’s not that SLC is the only important examination for the future but the other level of examinations are as much important as the SLC. People have given such value to this examination but the truth is that all the exams that we take are important for us. To succeed in life, just by getting over an obstacle isn’t enough. We should get over all of them. SLC is just the beginning step of one’s life and there are far too many other tests that one has to face.

— Abhiyan Sapkota, Ranibari, Kathmandu

SLC is the Iron Gate for the better future career. It means a lot to students who have appeared for it. It really meant a lot to me as well at that time. The feeling after getting the good scores or passing SLC is like accomplishing the hardest and the toughest ordeal of our life. In this point of time, SLC is undoubtedly a milestone for the future. But we gradually start to know the truth —passing SLC with whatever scores is just the first step toward your better future and realise that there is lot of distance to cover.

— Dilan Shrestha, Manakamana, Gorkha

I think SLC is a platform for our future so it works as a milestone. SLC is really a very important entrance for us which help in further studies. For abroad studies or for a job we have to pass SLC level. But now-a-days just having a certificate of SLC is not enough. Unless we don’t continue our further studies (bachelor or master level), we can’t get a good job. So, SLC result is really a milestone for future to build our career and many more.

— Arkana Khatoon, Pulchowk, Lalitpur

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Our children, like the adult population, are fans of different kinds of TV serials, masala movies and reality shows broadcast through the different television channels rather than children centred programmes. Such programmes are sure to make an impact on these innocent children. Should children be allowed to watch such programmes, or not? Why?

Send your replies in not more than 200 words by Friday, May 14 by 2 pm to Features Department, The Himalayan Times, e-mail: features@thehimalayantimes.com