SLC Results are in and it has nothing to do with Salt Lake City!

So you must be wondering, what's SLC? Does it have something to do with Salt Lake City? No. Does it have some talent show (sorry, I'm watching America's Got Talent right now)? Uhh, No. Okay, let's get serious now, what is it then? In Nepal, SLC stands for School Leaving Certificate. The SLC examination is usually administered in the spring (March/April) to all students completing Grade 10. Passing of this exam is of utmost importance to students because it determines whether they can continue on to higher secondary education also known as "Plus 2" or "college", then ultimately, should they decide to and are able to afford it, go on to university. This year, about 500,000 students had planned to sit for the exam in over 1000 exam centers across the country. The exam has been plagued with past reports of cheating, however, this year, it was reported that the government had planned to adopt a 'tough policy' in order to ensure that exams were conducted fairly.

On a more personal level, yesterday, I received an email from one of the children who I met back in 2006. He happily reported that he had passed the SLC and received a passing score of 83% with Distinction. Only 55% of those who took the exam passed it this year, and a much smaller number who pass with distinction! So this is quite an achievement for him and he is so grateful to his sponsors. It is a testament to the dedication of former staff/advisors for DRC, specifically Amrit and Rose Falconer, for ensuring his enrollment in a private school by finding donors to sponsor this young man's education. 

In Nepal, both public and private school have tuition fees. Despite passing the SLC, some cannot afford to continue on pass Grade 10. And likewise, even after completing 'Plus 2', some may not be able to go on to university. It is always a challenge to ensure that children even obtain basic education. This young man is one of the fortunate ones, but it did not come easy, and when dependent on donors, there are no guarantees. Fortunately, there are organizations in Nepal and here in the US that see the value in education and are willing to go the extra mile to help those in need.

Thank-you for visiting and if you want to learn more about the various organizations that do great work on behalf of Nepali children and young women, visit the organizations' websites included in Links.

Namaste,

Jackie

Click here to read an interesting Op-Ed piece about the SLC exam.

And another interesting read: http://neltachoutari.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/1645/