Some 1,850 appearing SLC

Damak, March 26, 2009: 1,850 out of 2051 exiled Bhutanese students of Class X from seven camps in Jhapa and Morang sat for their School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examinations on Wednesday. 

According to agencies, at least 201 students who were scheduled to sit for this ‘iron gate’ exam have already left Nepal under third country resettlement. In the last few years, with coordination between International Organization of Migration (IOM) and Caritas Nepal, which looks after education in camps, resettlement process of the families with children appearing SLC was delayed.

Students from Beldangi-I, II and extension camps are writing the examination in the exam centers allotted for them inside their respective camps while students from rest of the camps are adjusted in exam centers in nearby villages. 

According to Caritas records 12,159 (64 percent) among 19,195 students appearing the examinations have successfully passed. In recent years, the pass percentage of the SLC appearing students has substantially dropped due to lack of well-trained teachers, frequent changes of the teachers and change in curriculum among other factors.