The National Education Board has released the results of the SEE (Secondary Education Examination) administered at the end of 10th grade, which is a rite of passage in a student’s life. Formerly known as School Leaving Certificate (SLC), it was commonly, yet ominously, referred to as the “Iron Gate” as only 40% of students would pass. (To go along with this, the Grade 12 Board Exam scores were just released and again over half failed!) By whatever names, these exams determine the fate of our students, their fields of study and future careers. So, you can image how the announcement of these results instill not just anticipation, but anxiety and dread for every student.
Unfortunately, along with the name change to SEE, came a softening of its grading system, especially on the lower end of scores in order to eliminate the stigma of failing. Nevertheless, the top end (where practically all of our ANSWER students are found) is still very competitive. Still, a lower grade does prevent students from opting for their desired field of study. We have only once had a student fail this exam in our 20 years, while almost every year we have at least one student with a perfect score (4.0 GPA overall), a feat that is even more rare than being struck by lightning (1/15,000 according to the national weather service)!
Out of 54 ANSWER students taking the SEE exam this year, we had 1 student score a perfect 4.0, 30 students scored 3.5 or above, 21 scored 3.0 or better, and 3 scored just below 3.0. Even so, the past two years of hit-and-miss schooling during the pandemic in conjunction with the soft scoring, has severely impacted the value of this exam. Although our student results are excellent, we remain cautious. Are they really relevant with school disruptions and virtual learning? Do they in any way measure what is important, i.e., their knowledge base or skill levels? Without knowing, how can we give good counsel? We shall only learn what these results mean by tracking their future performance, something we do carefully.
In fact, we continue tracking our students even after they have graduated and entered their careers and beyond. The Importance of good teaching, good testing, and good performance is only discernable by long-term tracking…only time will tell.
For an excellent article about the worth of and the problems of the SEE please refer to the op-ed, https://kathmandupost.com/editorial/2022/07/27/reshaping-education
Written by Earle Canfield – Founder, Executive Director
