The National Examination Board (NEB) has started preparation to study the feasibility for conducting Grade XII board exams from the second week of August.
NEB has asked for permission from the government to take physical examination within the stated time.
The final exams of Grade XII, initially set to be held on June 9, was postponed by the government owing to the surge in coronavirus cases in the country.
Since cases of COVID-19 have recently started to decline, the authorities have decided to hold the examination physically, without any further delays.
According to NEB Chairperson Chandra Mani Paudel, the Board had written a formal letter to the COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC) to make all kinds of decisions related to exams amid COVID-19.
“We have written to the government and are confident that it will consider our request to allow us to hold physical examination,” Paudel said.
He further appealed the candidates to start preparing for the examination as they don’t have much time left for the same.
The COVID-19 crisis has hit the education system hard as students are deprived of physical classes in schools and are being upgraded to upper levels on the basis of internal evaluation provided by the schools.
This year, Grade XII students have hardly attended four months of physical classes. While many private schools claim that they completed the courses through online education, many public schools still haven’t completed their courses.
Last year, the government was forced to hold the examination on November 24, months later than the stipulated date.
As a majority of schools had not completed their courses, the government had decided to take physical examinations for only 40 percent of the total marks.
It had also cut the duration of physical examination to 1.5 hours. This examination style had drawn flak after many complained that it was hardly close to the usual evaluation system.
NEB, a body responsible for conducting national-level examinations, will not be following last year’s examination model this year.
“This year, we will conduct the examinations for 100 marks like in pre-COVID times. Let the students, teachers and guardians know that examinations will be held with the physical presence of students and evaluation will be made on the basis of students’ answer sheets,” Paudel said.
Around 450,000 students of Grade XII will take the examination this year.
