Nepal to Waives Exam and Registration Fees for Grades 9-11
Starting next year (Academic Year 2082/2083), students in grades 9, 10, and 11 in Nepal will no longer have to pay exam and registration fees. If implemented, this decision by the National Examination Board will affect around 500,000 public school students annually.
The Board has recommended this fee waiver to the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. Because it involves government revenue, the Ministry of Education must forward this recommendation to the Ministry of Finance.
Full implementation depends on the Ministry of Finance removing the related budgetary items from the annual Appropriation Bill presented to Parliament. The Ministry of Education had initially planned to implement the waiver this year, but this wasn't possible because the current budget already included the revenue from these fees. Discussions with the Ministry of Finance (MoF, Nepal) led to the decision to postpone the waiver until next year, prompting the National Examination Board's current action.
This means public school students in grades 9, 10, and 11 won't pay these fees starting next year. According to Nanda Lal Poudel, the Grade 10 Examination Controller, around 500,000 students register in grade 9 each year, spending 300 rupees. The Grade 10 Secondary Education Examination (SEE) costs 500 rupees per student. Grade 11 registration costs 600 rupees, even though the schools themselves conduct the Grade 11 exams.
The uncertainty surrounding these fees has already delayed this year's SEE registration by one month. The registration period will be shortened to 30 days, down from the usual 45. The option to register late by paying double the fee has also been eliminated. While some flexibility may be allowed for late registrations, the double-fee option is gone.
This waiver will cost the Ministry of Education over one billion rupees annually, requiring them to cover the Board's operating costs previously funded by student fees. Due to this financial impact, no decisions have been made regarding waiving fees for the Grade 12 exams.
Key Things to Know:
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From next year, students in grades 9, 10, and 11 will not have to pay fees for examination and registration forms.
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Approximately five hundred thousand students studying in public schools yearly will not have to pay fees for examinations and registration forms.
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The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology had planned to waive the fees this year, but it was impossible because the current budget included the revenue from these fees.
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Students pay 300 rupees for grade 9 registration, 500 for the grade 10 SEE exam, and 600 for grade 11 registration.
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Waiving these fees will add finance, which would cost the Ministry of Education rupees annually.
