The first Secondary Education Examination (SEE), which is replacing the School Leaving Certificate examination with 83 years of history, is set to start from Thursday. 

As many as 538,182 students from regular and exempted categories are sitting in the examination that will be held from 8am to 11am for 11 days. 

With the restructuring in the school level education following the eighth amendment to the Education Act-1972, students now onwards appear in the SEE at the end of grade 12 instead of grade 10.

Through a revision in the existing Act, the government has phased out the Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) and brought education up to grade 12 under school education.

Though the Act has envisioned holding the SEE at the provincial level, it is being conducted at the central level for the time being. 

Grades 10 and 12 exams were earlier conducted by the HSEB. But for the lack of preparation on the part of the Central Examination Board, the Office of the Controller of Examination (OCE), which used to oversee SLC exam, is conducting the SEE this year. 

According to Examination Controller Ambika Prasad Regmi, of the total 538,182 examinees, 468,400 are from the regular category while the remaining are taking the examination under the exempted group.

Girls continue to outnumber the boys this year as well with 278,450 female students taking the exam. The number of boys stands at 259,732. Girl examinees have outnumbered boys since 2015. “We are all prepared for the first SEE test,” Regmi said. 

The OCE is hopeful that the ongoing protests in some districts in the Tarai won’t affect the examination. 

Demonstrations have continued in some districts of Province 2 since March 6 when protesters were fatally shot by police at Maleth of Saptari. Regmi said as many as 67,591 officials including 29,845 security personnel will deployed for the examination which concludes on March 26.

468,400 (Regular category)

69,782 (Exempted category)

Girls: 278,450 

Boys: 259,732