Just a day after the publication of poor and weak Secondary Education Examination Results 2018, eight student organizations under the leadership of Maoist Biplab-led All Nepal Free Students Union Revolutionary declared to attack violently on private and community schools, which charge excessive fees.

Although the student unions are yet to define what excessive fees and affordable fees are, their warning indicated that Nepal’s secondary education institutions will face another phase of uncertainty.

For the last fifteen years, students unions affiliated to one or the other political party have been issuing threats obstructing education process. This kind of threat is creating instability in the minds of children, which will ultimately affect the quality of education and results.

With the publication of results of SEE 2018, everyone is blaming for weak learning, nobody has shown the guts to criticize or pinpoint the students union affiliated to various political parties.

As per the decision, the Office of the Controller of Examinations published the results of Secondary Education Examination-2018 in letter grading system. Nothing has changed. The overall results were poor. Except for private schools, all public and community schools performed badly.

Of the 485,586 students who filled forms, 463,689 students appeared for the SEE while 21,897 students were absent. Under the regular general category, 14,234 students secured Grade Point Average ranging from 3.65 to 4.00 (A plus); 46,130 students earned GPA between 3.25 and 3.60 (A); 49,037 students’ GPA was in the range of 2.85 to 3.02 (B plus); 70,512 students’ GPA was between 2.45 and 2.80 (B); GPA of 61,870 students was between 2.05 and 2.40 (C plus); 10l,043 students’ GPA was in the range of 1.65 to 2.00 (C); while 35,584 students secured GPA ranging from 1.25 to 1.60 (D plus). The GPA of 58,685 was between 0.85 and 1.20 (D). Last year, 12,284 students out of 445,564, who appeared in the exam under the regular general category, had secured GPA ranging from 3.65 to 4.00.

Total 451,532 students, including 227,931 girls, appeared under the regular general category that commenced on March 22 and ended on April 3 this year. Similarly, 25,138 students, 10,661 boys and14,477 girls, took the exams under the exempted general category in which none of the examinees secured GPA ranging from 3.65 to 4.00, while two secured GPA between 3.25 and 3.60 while 177 and 702 students got GPA from 2.45 to 2.80 and from 2.05 to 2.40 respectively. Under the regular technical category, 8,906 students had taken the exams.

According to OCE, 74 examinees were under-age and 1,250 students missed the theoretical exam under the regular general category. Similarly, nine students were expelled while answer sheets of 11 were cancelled. The number of drop-outs was 13,090 under the regular general category and 8,657 under the exempted general category.

Under the letter grading system, no examinee fails. Those who secure between C (1.65 to 2.00) and E (0.0-0.8) can take exams again on July 29 to upgrade their GPA, said Ambika Prasad Regmi, examination controller. “Nearly 35 per cent students had GPA less than 2.00, which show weak learning achievement. Overall, the SEE result is satisfactory, but education must be more practical oriented,” said Baikuntha Prasad Aryal, secretary at Ministry of Education.

With the bleak and weak results, the time has come to seat all stake holders together and work to improve the quality of education.