The School Leaving Certificate examinations will commence from the last week of March next year, according to a routine published by the Office of the Controller of Examinations (OCE), Sanothimi, on Wednesday.

Considering the time lost due to the April 25 earthquake and protests against the state delineation, the School Leaving Certificate Examination Board has decided to delay the exam by two weeks compared to previous years, said Examination Controller Khagendra Nepal. The 12-day exam starts on March 31 and ends on April 11.

Examinees will have to write each of the eight papers in three hours—8 to 11 am. The exam kicks off with the Compulsory English, followed by Compulsory Nepali on April 1; Compulsory Maths on April 3; Science on April 4; Social Studies on April 5; Environment, Health and Population on April 6. The first optional paper will be on April 7 and the second on April 8.

The examinations for both the general and technical categories will be held together but the practical examinations under technical category will take place on April 9, 10 and 11. Education experts and private schools operators have been demanding to hold examinations in two phases, arguing that extending by two weeks will not be enough to compensate the disruption of classes, especially in eight districts in the central and eastern Tarai districts.