The government has formed a committee to recommend alternatives to grade 11 examinations a few days after it cancelled this years grade 10 exams in view off the Covid-19 pandemic

The grade 11 exams, which were scheduled to start on May 3, were postponed indefinitely after the country entered into a lockdown on March 24 to contain the spread of the disease.

“The fate of the grade 11 exams will be decided based on the recommendation of the committee,” said Chandra Mani Poudel, chair of National Examination Board.

Officials say that the committee will choose between the two available options: postpone the exams until the threat of the disease subsides or issue grade sheets to students based on tests conducted by schools before the lockdown, as was done in the case of grade 10.

As the promotion of students to grade 12 is not affected by their grade 11 results, it is possible that the test will be postponed until normalcy returns.

The government expects the number of coronavirus infection cases to fall by October. Speaking in Parliament last week, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had claimed the country will return to normalcy by the end of this year.

The government on June 10 decided to cancel the Secondary Education Examination for this year and issue certificates to students based on evaluations conducted by schools, but it did decide about the grade 11 and 12 exams.

Based on the Cabinet decision, the board has asked all schools to submit the grades of their students to the Education Development and Coordination Unit in the respective districts by July 4. A three-member committee led by the principal of each school will prepare the grades based marks obtained by students in their latest tests. The board will then issue grade sheets based on the marks prepared by the schools.

“What we have learnt so far is the grade 11 examinations will be postponed for now until the country returns to normalcy. Students will start their grade 12 classes online,” said a senior official at the board on the condition of anonymity as the government is yet to formally decide.

The government, meanwhile, has finalised a bill that will allow provincial governments to conduct the secondary exams. The draft bill, which has already received consent from the Ministry of Finance and awaits clearance from the law ministry, says NEB will conduct national-level exams only for grade 12.

“The bill authorises the provinces to conduct SEE and the board to conduct grade 12 exams, but it doesn’t talk about grade 11,” said an official at the Ministry of Law, who has studied the bill. “The government might be preparing to allow schools to conduct grade 11 exams themselves.”

In India, schools evaluate their grade 11 students while provincial or central boards conduct grade 12 exams. The new Act, which will replace the Education Act 1971, makes local governments more involved in education as the constitution authorises local governments to manage school-level education.