Openly challenging the government’s directives, the Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisation Nepal (Pabson) has asked its member schools to fully participate in the send-up examinations starting next week.

The umbrella body of the private and institutional schools in the country has also published a schedule to hold the exam starting January 18. It has asked all schools to collect exam fee from Rs 450 to Rs 550 and submit Rs 50 from each student to exam preparatory committee of the Pabson. Starting 2011, the government amending the existing education regulation barred schools from holding send-up exams to select students for the School Leaving Certificate examinations. However, the private schools have been flouting the rule for the past three years. They have been holding the send-up exam in an organised way so that they can allow only good students to appear in the SLC examinations for better results.

As per the regulation, students who are studying in grade 10 and have at least 70 percent attendance cannot be barred from the SLC exam. The Department of Education (DoE) every year directs schools to abide by the legal provision but such directive is flouted in the lack of proper actions from the respective District Education Offices. Schools that bar students from sitting for SLC exams citing send-up results are liable to a fine of Rs 25,000 and other actions from the respective District Education Office.

Pabson officials claim that it is necessary to hold the send-up test as a preparation for the SLC exam. “Students must get opportunities to prepare for the SLC exam,” said Pabson Chairman Lachhe Bahadur KC, adding that schools will not cancel the scheduled exam.

Issuing a public notice last week, the DoE had directed all schools not to hold send-up exams. It, however, has allowed schools to hold internal tests at the school level.

source: the kathmandu post,9 jan 2015