The age limit rule for participating in the Secondary Education Examination (SEE), which was removed four years ago, has now been reinstated, causing distress among students.
As per Sub-section 6 of Clause 78 of the Education Regulations, students under the age of 14 are not eligible to take part in the SEE. However, in 2078 BS, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology had removed the age restriction, reasoning that secondary education extends up to Grade 12. At that time, the rule required students to be at least 14 years old only to appear in the Grade 12 examination, allowing students of any age to participate in the SEE.
Previous Controversy on Rule Removal
There had been debate earlier as well regarding the legality of removing a provision in the Education Regulations through a ministerial decision. Despite that, the ministry has now directed the board to enforce the 14-year rule in accordance with the regulations.
If implemented, students appearing in the SEE in the year 2082 must have completed 14 years of age by the end of Chaitra 2082. In other words, only students born on or before the end of Chaitra 2068 will be eligible to take part in the upcoming SEE.
Current Registration Issues
The board is currently collecting registration forms for Grade 10. The deadline for submitting forms is set for the end of Jestha. However, many students submitting the forms have been found not to meet the age requirement.
The board reports receiving daily complaints from schools, students, and parents regarding this issue.
Age Discrepancies in Submitted Forms
According to the board, some students who have submitted registration forms are only a few days short of meeting the 14-year age requirement. Others will only be 12 years old at the time of the SEE, stated Dr. Ganesh Bhattarai, Controller of Examinations (Grade 10).
“A difference of a few days is understandable,” Bhattarai said. “But if a student is only 12 years old by the time they reach Grade 10, how can that be considered normal? Clearly, some parents must have tampered with the birth date at the time of admission or allowed their children to skip grades. Such cases are not legally acceptable.”
In 2078 BS, when the age requirement was removed, some parents adjusted their child’s birth date or promoted them early to higher grades to let them progress faster. Now that the ministry has instructed the board to enforce the original rule again, this has created new complications.
Ministry’s Stance
Shiv Kumar Sapkota, spokesperson of the Ministry, said that removing the provision in 2078 through a ministerial decision was itself a mistake.
“What we’re doing now is just implementing the existing provision in the regulation,” he said. “If any issue arises, the board has been instructed to facilitate accordingly.”
What Is the Way Forward?
Given the widespread concern among students, the board has provided an option: students under 14 years of age can mention Chaitra-end 2068 as their date of birth while filling out the Grade 10 registration form.
This is based on a provision in the amendment bill for certain Nepal Acts currently under discussion in the Federal Parliament, which allows birth dates to be corrected once. The bill is currently in the National Assembly, but it remains unclear when it will be enacted.
Once implemented, students will be able to officially revise their birth dates as per the details submitted in the registration form, said Controller Bhattarai.
