SLC called the “Iron Gate” has changed its form in many ways since its inception in 1990 BS. Earlier it would mean a significant achievement in one’s educational life. But now SEE is just one of the many gates in one’s academic life. It is a golden gate and a threshold to one’s great future.

But one thing that has somehow reminded the same during its long history is the leave that students get after appearing in this examination. Though the length of leave has decreased significantly in recent years, students still get almost three months of holiday. The dilemma to spend these holidays have increased because of numerous choices available to students as a result of change that has taken place in technological, economic and political systems.

Some of us have plans to visit new places, some want to learn new skills, others to visit their relatives and some might just sleep too much at home. We can learn computer programming or driving skills.

We can spend our SLC holiday learning things which we would never do in any other holidays, like learning new languages or scripts, learning simple skills related to plumbing or electricity for household use. We may have left out some of very exciting places like jungles or parks, religious places or some important historical places near our home.

Movies are another choice available to us. Apart from mainstream Hollywood, Nepali or Hindi cinemas, we can watch movies of new genres like Iranian, French or Russian movies with great fan base worldwide. Same goes for the music, we can always listen to some new types or even songs of different languages we haven’t listened to. Amid all these choices how can we miss one thing that we have been doing since our childhood, study. Apart from visiting mushrooming bridge course centers and preparing for entrance tests to secure seats in the top colleges we can also visit libraries located within our locality. If we already have a   reading habit it’s a head start, nonetheless we can always develop such a wise habit.

The reality is we must do it within our economic, physical or social constraints. If we do it in an enjoyable way, if we gain new experience or skill or if we are able to change the way we perceive things or our thinking because of exposure to new activities or various things that we did during our holiday, then the SEE leave will certainly be a holiday of a lifetime.

source: the himalayan times, 27 March 2017