International qualifications 2013 (pdf) - CUKAS

Qualifications currently offered
40% or above has been achieved, with the exception of English
language.
Government Technical Institute (GTI) Diploma
Considered to be comparable to BTEC National Diploma/N(S)VQ.
GRADING SYSTEM
School
Marking is on a percentage scale, with a minimum average of
40% as pass-mark which is required for university entrance.
EDUCATION SYSTEM
The education system provides 11 years of schooling. The
admission age is five years. Primary education covers the first
five years of education grade 1 to grade 5: three years of
schooling at lower primary level, two years at upper primary
level. Secondary education lasts six years, divided into two
cycles: four years at the lower secondary level (middle
secondary) and two years at the upper secondary level (higher
secondary). Lower secondary (middle secondary) schooling
covers grade 6 to 9 (previously standard 5 to standard 8). At
the end of grade 9 (standard 8) students sit an examination,
used to route them into the arts or science streams for upper
secondary (higher secondary) grade 10 and 11. At the end of
the upper secondary level (in year 11) students can take the
Basic Education High School Examination (matriculation) to
enter the tertiary level. English, mathematics and Myanmar are
compulsory subjects in the matriculation examination.
ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION
After matriculation at the age of 16+ or 17, depending on their
grades, students would then continue their studies at government
universities or institutions. Admission is based on the
matriculation results (or grade). Some HE institutions require
students to sit an entrance examination.
Nepal
EVALUATION
School Leaving Certificate
Considered to be below GCSE standard.
GRADING SYSTEM
Pass with Distinction 75%+
Pass with 1st Division 60–74%
Pass with 2nd Division 45–59%
Pass with 3rd Division 32–44%
EDUCATION SYSTEM
Education in Nepal is structured as school education and higher
education. School education includes primary level of grades
1–5, and lower secondary and secondary levels of 6–8 and 9–10
respectively. Pre-primary level of education is also available in
certain areas. Six years of age is the prescribed age for
admission into grade one. A national level School Leaving
Certificate (SLC) examination is conducted at the end of grade
10. Grades 11 and 12 are considered as higher secondary level.
Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) supervises higher
secondary schools which are mostly under private management.
Higher education consists of bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels.
Depending upon the stream and subject, bachelor’s level may be
of three to five years’ duration. The duration of master’s level is
generally two years. Some universities offer programmes like
MPhil and postgraduate Diplomas.
Legally there are two types of school: community and
institutional. Community schools receive regular government
grants whereas institutional schools are funded by their own or
other non-governmental resources. Institutional schools are
organised either as a non-profit trust or as a company. However,
in practical terms, schools are mainly of two types: public
(community) and private (institutional). A third type of school are
schools run by local people keen to have a school in their locality.
ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION
There is no specific range of marks required for admission to
higher education, but rather the requirement of different colleges
that operate under different universities. Generally colleges
require a 1st division result for admission or for eligibility to sit
the entrance test. Until 1985 the only university in Nepal was
Tribhuvan University. However, in the 1980s the government
developed the concept of a multi-university system, with each
new university having their own distinctive nature, content and
function.
EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION
The Ministry of Education and Sports is the apex body
responsible for initiating and managing educational activities in
the country. The Minister of Education, assisted by the
State/Assistant Minister, provides political leadership to the
Ministry. The Ministry, as a part of the government bureaucracy, is
headed by the Secretary of Education and consists of the central
office, various functional offices and offices located at the
regional and district levels. The Central Office or the Ministry is
mainly responsible for policy development, planning and
monitoring and evaluation regarding different aspects of
education.
With the purpose of bringing education administration nearer to
the people, the Ministry has established five Regional Directorates
and 75 District Education Offices in five development regions and
75 districts respectively. These decentralised offices are
responsible for overseeing non-formal and school level
educational activities in their respective areas. Regional
Directorates are mainly responsible for coordinating, monitoring
and evaluating education activities, and the District Education
Offices are the main implementing agencies.
LIST OF UNIVERSITIES IN NEPAL
Prior to the establishment of the first college in the country, Tri-
Chandra College in 1918, higher education in Nepal was
nonexistent. Until 1985, Tribhuvan University had remained the
only university in Nepal. In the early 1980s, His Majesty's
Government developed the concept of a multi-university system
for the country. One important assumption behind the concept
was that each new university should have a distinctive nature,
content and function of its own.
The first new university that was established was Mahendra
Sanskrit University. The inception of this university was soon
followed by Kathmandu University which, unlike Tribhuvan
University or Mahendra Sanskrit University, is an institution of
higher education founded by the private sector.
Currently there are six universities in Nepal:
g
Tribhuvan University
g
Kathmandu University
g
Pokhara University
g
Purbanchal University
g
Mahendra Sanskrit University
g
B.P.Koriala Institute of Health Sciences
INTERNATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS 43