POKHARA, Jan 4: The Education Division of Pokhara Metropolitan City has agreed to conduct the Class 8 exam in the SEE model after discussions with stakeholders on Friday. The Metropolitan Examination Committee had two weeks ago taken the decision to hold the Class 8 exam in the SEE model.
Hem Prasad Acharya, the head of the Education Division of Pokhara Metropolitan City, said that stakeholders approved the decision made by the committee, chaired by Chief Administrative Officer Shiva Raj Chaulagain, at a meeting held on Friday.
Representatives from institutional school-related organizations such as PABSON, N0PABSON, and UNIPS, as well as community schools, attended the meeting held on Friday in the presence of Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya.
Representatives from the institutional school-related organizations expressed dissatisfaction with the decision. They argued that young students should not be required to travel to different exam centers to appear in examinations. Instead, they emphasized the need for other educational reforms. As per the decision, exam centres should be set up only at schools within Pokhara Metropolitan City for students stuyding in the schools of the city.
KMC Education Department directs schools to conduct Grade 8 exa...
Acharya, the head of the Education Division, said that around 250 schools, including both community and institutional schools, exist in Pokhara. He confirmed that they have reached an agreement to assign 30 to 35 centers for students from all the Pokhara city based schools.
He also highlighted that they will maintain physical distancing for students during the exam. "In addition to assigning exam centers, we will arrange a seating plan," he said. "The exam will follow the SEE model."
He informed that they reached a consensus to make the exam organized and dignified. He said, "Our conclusion is that students should be able to write without hesitation, and the examination process should be dignified and organized." However, he clarified that the intention is not to demotivate the students in any way.
Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya stated that the Class 8 exam will be made as rigorous as the SEE exam. He explained during Friday's discussion that their goal is to improve the quality of education through this examination system. He said, "The result of last year's SEE exam was not impressive one. We believe this happened because exams were made too lenient up to Class 9. Therefore, we have decided to strengthen the examination system from the lower levels, with the belief that this will improve the quality of education along with the SEE exam."
However, Mathura Prasad Poudel, the president of PABSON Kaski, maintained that the decision was made despite their disagreement. "It wasn't just us; NPABSON and UNIPS also disagreed," he said. "But the decision had already been made. We were only invited as witnesses. Despite our disagreement, the decision was finalized."
Poudel stated that making young students travel to exam centers would impact their psychology. He said, "The SEE exam was not made rigid but introduced as a board exam at the +2 level. Now, in Pokhara, it seems inappropriate to continue the same old practice for Class 8 exams."
He explained that his opposition stemmed from the fact that while his students were ready to take the exam wherever they went, making them travel to exam centers would negatively affect their psychology. "Not all schools have school buses," he said. "How will we transport these young students to the exam centers? Additionally, it creates the hassle of finding exam centers."
Hemanta Adhikari, the president of N-PABSON Kaski, acknowledged the meeting's decisions but stated that this decision would create complications for students, parents, and schools.
