SEE results and School Education Bill on final stage of discussion in the Parliamentary Committee were the hot topics in the media last week.

Kathmandu – There was report that 61.81 percent of students have passed (got a grade) the School Education Examination (SEE) held in March 2025. Nearly more than 14 percent students succeed to get grades this year compared to 48 last year. According to the results published by the National Examination Board (NEB), out of 439,000 students who participated in the regular examination, 271,000 students got a grade while 167,000 students did not succeed to get a grade (did not pass or were not good enough to be graded), quoted the news. NG (Non-Graded) students are not considered qualified to study further (11th Class).

According to the news, in SEE results, 128,000 (29 percent) students were non-graded in mathematics, 80,000 (18 percent) in English, 79,000 (18 percent) in science and technology, 55,000 (12.5 percent) in Nepali, and 53,000 (12 percent) in social studies.

In Rupandehi, SEE results for both public and private schools have improved this year compared to last year with 24 percent more students passing.
Similarly, the NEB has made arrangements for students who have not been graded in the SEE to reappear in a ‘chance exam’ if students wish to imrove their grades from 14th of August 2025, the news published.

It is good to see that this year's SEE exam results have seen more students succeeding this year than last year. In our society, the SEE is considered as the toughest exam of somebody’s lifetime, and the state machinery promotes it that way. In particular, the SEE exam over the last decade or two is a burden on parents and students imposed by the state in the interests of bureaucracy and private investors in education. The Constitution itself mandates secondary education up to Class 12, but the state has been committing the crime of subjecting millions of adolescents to mental pressure in the name of SEE, two years before the completion of secondary education, and labeling half of them as ‘failed’. The eighth amendment to the Education Act in 2016 provides for the final school-level examination to be held in Class 12. It has been well criticized that the continuation of the SEE exam is for financial transactions involved in the name of the exam and the commercial interests of for-profit private schools investors who attract students for Class 11 and 12 after the SEE. Many schools cater only those two grades (so called +2) Governments have been ignoring different Commission's repeated recommendations to hold the final school-level examination in Class 12.

Further, Nepal's exam is based on memorization rather than in understanding and competence. How is it possible to assess a student holistically through a three-hour exam of reproducing texts from the memory? Due to this examination system and consequential pedagogy is also based predominantly on rote learning. This examination system cannot test a student's thinking, analytical, and creative abilities. It is irony that the government is willing to continue to burden millions of students and parents for the sake of some vested interests, even though educationists have been demanding for change in the examination system. Education that should encourage students to think, analyze, explore new things, and promote creativity should have congruent examination system. In fact, the change should start from the change of exam system.

The government's approach of considering SEE results as educational achievements has been manifested in the views of Prime Minister Mr. KP Oli who  blamed teachers after last year's results were criticized for being poor, now claiming in complacency that he himself is to be attributed to the improvements this time. Premier Oli's statements in the Parliament seem more self-boasting than the dignity of a Head of the Government. Standing on the rostrum of the Parliament, Oli claimed that SEE results had improved by mobilizing 200-250 youth. As if others do not understand that results can be improved by liberalizing checking answer sheets, he has given credit for the increase in results to himself and his IT expert's private company. In the name of improving children's learning, Ambition Guru, the company owned by the Prime Minister's IT expert Asghar Ali, used the resources, equipment, and human resource of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) to obtain a database of grade 10 children. Ambition Guru had reduced students into its customers of its online instruction products using the same database. Ignoring programs run with millions of dollars invested by the Government, the Government itself was involved in promoting the products produced by the company. And it is sad that the Government's head is trying to give the credit for improving results not to teachers and government machinery, but to his own IT expert's company! It is no secret to all concerned that he is with private investors on the upcoming education Bill too.

Showing a dramatic improvement in exam results without making a substantive difference in student learning environment is just an act in populism. Efforts in the year may bring some improvements, but real improvement should start 10-12 years back from grade one or even before. Is there anyone who could claim that ‘these efforts of mine or ours ten years ago’ have improved results? Isn't such claims of PM are like adding green branches to a tree that make a tree taller than taking care for years? 

In any case, it will bring some positive mood for the improvement. Those who trying to do so, let's keep trying from before grade one! Whether Mr Oli claims it or not, we have to keep improving!

Duduwa Rural Municipality (RM) of Banke has distributed bicycles to girl students who passed last year's SEE as part of the Girls Student Incentive Program. Bicycles have been distributed to 41 Girl students from public and private schools of the RM to facilitate and motivate them to pursue higher education, even if colleges are far from home, the news mentioned.

For several years, there have been news of various awards and facilities being given or announced at various ward, municipal, and provincial levels to improve SEE results. However, there is no news about what difference such distributions have made in the results. Journalists also don't seem to feel the need to follow up on the news they write. Various government agencies and other organizations conduct numerous studies, but it is not known if any studies have been conducted on the effects of such incentives. It is easy to distribute state resources while on office and those officials will also become popular while distributing. But distributing resources that do not produce results is a misuse of state resources. Therefore, it is ironic that distribution work continues without assessing the impact of distribution. 

No state agency is interested in assessing the impact of such distribution programs. If they want to improve SEE results, they must consider the need to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools, starting from the lower grades not awarding the best students.

Under the title of Student Choices after SEE, Prof. Dr. Krishna Kant Parajuli wrote in Gorkhapatra that students need proper guidance and counseling to make decisions based on their interests, abilities, and future goals, rather than on pressure, mood or whim. For this, understanding and support from parents, state regulation, and subject-specific quota arrangements are necessary, the article mentioned.

Satyaram Kasichhwa of Suryamadhi, Bhaktapur, wrote a Letter to the Editor in Gorkhapatra stating that the quality of student learning has not improved.

Ramesh Prasad Gautam wrote in Gorkhapatra that to make education policies and programs practical, it is necessary to reach a final conclusion based on wider debate and reality-based studies, not just consulting limited individuals, classes or groups.

The Education, Health and Information Technology Committee (EHTIC) of the House of Representatives has reached an agreement to make provisions in the School Education Bill to allow the opening of for-profit private schools, published the news. As agreed, the bill will make provision to make such for-profit schools ‘service-oriented, public welfare-oriented and gradually non-profit’, the news quoted.

The School Education Bill has been under discussion in the EHITC for 22 months. The Committee spent a long time discussing it with school education stakeholders, education activists up to the provincial level, and with lawmakers who had registered points of amendment in the Bill. The Subcommittee formed to harness a consensus on the suggestions received, presented points of consensus to the EHTIC. The Subcommittee could not reach to a consensus on the 'period for converting for-profit schools into non-profit' and 'period of Child Development Education or pre-primary'. On this EHTIC asked for the Ministry's opinion. Based on that excuse, there was news that the MoEST and the Government were trying to overturn the key agreed points. It is unfortunate that Premier KP Oli has stepped forward to interfere with the consensus to make two-year of pre-primary or Early Childhood Development in both public and private sectors. The Prime Minister's directive to the committee to ensure that private schools run as profit-making indefinitely and not to limit the period of pre-primary education in private schools is interference in the sovereign rights of Parliament and MPs and a violation of parliamentary tradition.

(Our previous comment on this https://www.edukhabar.com/news/16892).

He could have done this by convincing MPs of the coalition parties if he wished to do so. The Prime Minister Oli had also intervened in the Civil Service Bill to remove the provision of a 'cooling period' i.e. after how many years a government employee can be given a job of benefit after retirement - in the interests of high-ranking employees. Concerned Parliamentary Committee  has made a consensus of two years. It is an irony for Nepalis that Prime Minister prefers the interests of the vested interests groups rather than the interests of people and the country. He was seen making efforts to protect the interests of for-profit schools investors in the School Education Bill. It has been mentioned above how he is trying to give credit to private IT Company on the SEE results. If things continue at this pace, the day of privatization of the Ministry of Education is not far off!

In an article of Sudesh Mani Pokharel titled Fundamental Dimensions of Educational Up-gradation in Kantipur discussed the learning of  students, the habit of using technology 'artificial intelligence (AI chats like GPT, Gemini, etc.)' to do assigned homework in educational institutions in accessible areas and questioned the students' qualifications.

In viewing of the growing trend of people enrolling in foreign universities and obtaining doctoral degrees without the necessary study, research, and writing, Tribhuvan University (TU) has revoked the degrees of some individuals, Gorakhapatra mentioned. It was returned saying that it would not be considered equivalent to a doctoral degree, without proof of having attended the concerned university and having studied and researched, quoted the news.

Schools of remote areas are becoming empty due to the lack of students because of migration from villages to urban areas and youth going abroad, there was the news. Two secondary schools have been closed and four schools have been downgraded in Byas Municipality of Tanahun. Similarly, in Beni, Myagdi, public school teachers are waiting with well-equipped classrooms and deserted playgrounds, the report published.

Mahendra Poudyal wrote an article in Onlinekhabar that it is necessary to focus on subject-specific teacher provision, teacher training, and Early Childhood Development to improve the quality of education in public schools.

The 14th National Conference of the Nepal National Teachers' Organization, an organization of teachers affiliated with the CPN-UML, has elected Hans Bahadur Shahi as the president.

Purpose of this news review is to classify and synthesize the educational content of the week and provide objective comments from the point of view of social justice and creative pedagogy including the environment. It is aimed to the policy makers and stakeholders to help make informed decisions. In this joint effort of the Center for Educational Policies and Practices (CEPP) and EduKhabar, material from daily newspapers - Kantipur, Gorkhapatra and The Himalayan Times, online news portals - Online Khabar, Setopati and Ratopati and the 8 o'clock news of Nepal Television and 7 o'clock news of Himalaya Television is summarized and presented with commentary on relevant issues. We have covered the contents from 21-27 June 2025 in this issue - The Editor.

Read this analysis in Nepali : प्रम नै शिक्षामा निजी लगानी प्रवर्द्धन अभियानमा

Also watch the video (Nepali) with the commentary : एसईईको हल्ला खल्लासँग जोडिएको विचित्रको स्वार्थ [भिडियो टिप्पणी]

Read last week's content : Last week in