Apr 26, Kathmandu - The Class 12 examinations are scheduled to start tomorrow, Sunday, with a total of 418,800 students participating. Compared to last year, this year's student turnout has decreased by approximately 90,000. The decline is attributed to students from previous curricula no longer being eligible, resulting in a lower number of examinees.

Examination Controller Krishna Prasad Sharma explained that students who studied under the old curriculum were allowed to take exams for up to three years, which contributed to the higher participation last year. Since this three-year window has now closed, the number of examinees has decreased. He emphasized the need to investigate the reasons behind such a significant drop in student numbers. 

Approximately 420,000 students qualify through the Secondary Education Examination (SEE), but only around 350,000 are enrolled, prompting concerns from educational stakeholders. Suprabhat Bhandari, former President of the Parents' Federation, highlighted the need for further inquiry into the enrollment discrepancy.

This year, 332,178 students from 5,339 schools are participating in the exams, with 172,012 boys and 160,137 girls. An additional 290 students are taking the exams on a partial basis. The district with the fewest participants is Manang, with 31 students, while Kathmandu has the highest with 64,033 examinees.

A total of 1,421 examination centers have been established across the country, including one in Japan. Kathmandu has the highest number of centers at 161, while Manang and Mustang districts each have only one. The examination board has urged all stakeholders to ensure the exams are conducted smoothly and orderly.

Region-wise, the exam centers are distributed as follows: Koshi Province with 67,497 students, Madhes with 62,114, Bagmati with 120,477, Gandaki with 30,546, Lumbini with 69,411, Karnali with 30,479, Sudurpashchim with 37,445, and Japan with 39 candidates. The board has called upon all relevant authorities to facilitate a well-organized examination process.