Since 1934 the national School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examination has been considered the most important educational milestone in the life of a Nepali. Passing the SLC exam opened the gate for civil service and higher education. In 2017, the government changed the name of SLC to SEE (Secondary Education Examinations) and replaced the marking system with the grade system.

For the first time in the illustrious history of this exam, the 2020 version of it had to be canceled due to the Covid-19 crisis. The plan is now to evaluate students based on their performance in other exams conducted throughout the academic calendar. But this provision has also confused many students. APEX caught up with some students who were scheduled to appear for SEE 2020 to solicit their views on the cancelation and the prospect of getting certificates without clearing the exam.

Health is wealth

Sadikshya Ghimire

Canceling the Grade 10 SEE and promoting students to grade 11 without it is a good decision. We couldn’t risk our lives by going to the exam center. As we were taught, health is wealth. We now hope the way they are going to mark us is sorted as soon as possible.

A+ hopes dashed

Anurag Sahani

Canceling SEE is not a good idea. It’s worse for me. I was hoping to get A+ with hard work. But if we are to be evaluated based on previous tests and internal exams, I will get only ‘A’. I am mighty upset. 

Precious time saved

Sujan KC

There was a genuine fear of the spread of Covid-19. Had the government not acted so quickly, precious time of the students would have been wasted. For me, it was a good decision to cancel the nationwide SEE and evaluate students based on the already-conducted school exams. I also advise the government to start Grade XI at the earliest possible date.

Stuck with old grade

Kushal Shrestha

SEE was my last hope to improve my GPA. Since one month ahead of the scheduled exam, I was studying hard and revising the whole course. So the cancellation of the SEE didn’t exactly thrill me.

Responsible thing to do

Prabha Poudel

Canceling SEE was the best possible decision amid the ongoing crisis. If Covid-19 virus had infected someone during the exam, who would take responsibility? And delaying the decision would have made matters worse for students. We have sat in many exams during our school life. Our hard work can be evaluated on that basis.

Hard work wasted

Sinoj Ranapal

It is not good. I was not as serious in preparing for internal tests and exams as I was for the SEE. I was actually studying really hard. I am also a bit skeptical about the transparency of grading. It is likely that only the students close to the teachers will get good grades in internal assessment. 

Made peace with it

Prabin Giri

I think the government did the right thing. One can only imagine what would have happened if one or more exam centers had been infected. Health is more important than studies. Though my tests and internal exams were not that satisfactory, I am nonetheless happy with the cancellation.

Topper bias

Pranjal Siwakoti

I strongly disagree with the government decision. For class-toppers who had studied well for internal exams, this is perhaps okay. But I am not satisfied with its impact on average students who had a very high expectation from the SEE.