While the National Examination Board is still uncertain about grade 12 results, several universities have started calling applications for the bachelor’s level entrance, creating confusion among students.

The Institute of Engineering, under Tribhuvan University, on December 23 called applications from students, asking them to apply for different engineering programmes by January 17 while the entrance has been slated for ten days later on January 27. Students need to submit the results of grade 12 or the A Levels to qualify to take the entrance test.

Students wanting to study engineering in government or private colleges under Tribhuvan University must go through the entrance tests conducted by the Institute of Engineering. Similarly, Kathmandu University has also called applications from students for the entrance examination of different streams for the bachelor's programme.

However, the board, which had said it would publish results latest by the first week of January, has now said it isn’t sure about the exact date it will publish the results. The Grade 12 exams had begun from November 24.

“We are making every effort to publish results as soon as possible,” Durga Aryal, member-secretary at the board, told the Post. “It is taking longer, as the schools haven’t sent the obtained marks in order.” He said they are struggling to enter the marks, as they weren’t sent serially as per the symbol number.

Aryal said an official who could upload 50,000 pieces of data a day is struggling to enter 10,000 now, as schools haven’t followed directions while submitting the marks ledger. “This is why it is taking longer to publish the results than anticipated,” he said. “We are planning not to go beyond the first week of Magh (third week of January).”

The deadline given by Aryal is beyond the final deadline of the Institute of Engineering to submit the application.

“The delay has worried me,” Abhilekh Belbase, who is preparing for the entrance test, told the Post. “Either the board has to publish the result early or the Institute of Engineering has to postpone the entrance procedure.”

Aryal, however, says if the results are delayed, universities should allow students to sit for the test on the condition of presenting grade 12 results later or postpone the entrance examinations.

The board conducted in-person examinations for grade 12 students and the respective schools were allowed to mark the students themselves and were asked to send the marks ledger to the board.

As the weightage of the tests was reduced by 60 percent, the duration of the exams has been shortened by half to one-and-a-half hours. While students took the written exam for 40 percent of their final grades, another 40 percent came from their grades in grade 11 and the remaining 20 percent from the internal evaluation by their schools.

All 4,105 higher secondary schools across the country were turned into examination centres this year owing to the threat of the pandemic. With 433,131 examinees, it was the largest gathering of the education sector since the pandemic hit the country in March.