Students in Nepal attend secondary level final exam in-person as COVID wave falters

Kathmandu [Nepal], April 22 (ANI): Secondary Education Examination (SEE) in Nepal started on Friday with students appearing in person as the COVID-19 wave in the Himalayan Nation continues to falter.
Disrupted for two consecutive years due to two waves of coronavirus infection and passing with the third one, students thronged to examination centers to attend the exam which is final for their secondary level studies.
"Quite fearful as well as excited, as we are now able to attend it in physical presence. If it had been done by earlier methods then it would have lesser value but now attending the exam in person would give better results as it is a means to test our ability and would be marked on the basis of it. We are quite happy about it," Aryan Gajmer, one of the students appearing the final year examination of secondary level told ANI.
Earlier for two years (2020 and 2021), the National Examinations Board which has been conducting the final exams annually had recognized schools' internal assessments of students for SEE results due to the COVID-19 crisis.
"English exams will go well because its' one of my favorite subjects and other exams also would go the same but I have to put on more effort. All of the exams would now go smooth and good," Anushka Khadka, another SEE appearing student said.
As many as 514,967 students -- 257,053 girls and 157,914 boys -- from 11,615 schools are attending the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) that started on Friday with Compulsory English as the first subject.
As per the government records, a total of 11,454 students will be sitting in the exam for grade improvement that has been halted for the past two years and 14,564 students towards technical streamline will be appearing in the exam.
The Examination Board has allotted 2,007 exam centers all across the nation where COVID 19 health protocols are followed.
"In the past two years, we were not able to conduct the exams on student's physical presence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a fall in the infection rate, Secondary Education Examination (SEE) is now being held in physical presence adhering to the protocols prescribed by authorities ensuring the smooth conduction of the exams in a proper manner," Surendra Bahadur Thapa, head of one of the examination center in Kathmandu told ANI.
Millions of Nepali students in the earlier year had received both the dosages of the anti-COVID vaccine which as per officials has ensured the smooth commencement of exams. (ANI)