Best courses After SLC

Things have changed from the first School Leaving Certificate [SLC] board exam in 1933 where only 34 students toiled their way through the tough tests to 2004 when 949 SLC centers across the country saw a total of 313,216 students. Results are scheduled to come out sometime this month and a good many of the students that get through the 'iron gates' can look forward to what else but more school! Cheer up, because a good education almost guarantees a gold-plated future. And so this issue, we help post- SLC students who are relishing their time off from school to take a quick trip back to their academic future.There are plenty of options for the post-SLC students if the showy advertisements of educational institutions are anything to go by. This leaves a lot of students confused at best and downright panicky at the other end of the scale. So, they do what they can-- while some have their career path plotted out clearly, most are influenced by their friends' choices, others pick the path that requires the least effort and a group of obedient children do what their parents tell them.
"There is enough time after the SLC exam to think about the future and decide on options," says Mohan Bahadur Singh, Principal of Xavier Academy. If you don't happen to be among the 80 percent of students who have no idea of what they want to study or among the 50 percent who change their subjects at least once in college and you're just very, very confused, you could always get counseling. The advantage is that your counselor won't have a hidden agenda and will genuinely want to help you decide on what's best for you.
Careers are easy to talk about but hard to commit and follow through on. Psychologist Dhan Bahadur KC ups the pressure: "Planning a career is the most crucial decision in life… after marriage." Marriage? Most SLC graduates just want to get through high school and college! Although it's trendy to head North (China, Russia), South (India), East (Singapore, Australia) or West (US, UK), Nepal is brimming with choices. Whether they are technical subjects or the trinity of doctor-engineer-computers, there is an astonishing range of colleges all over the country.
News flash: what you study is as important as where you study—after all, it's not like the 1970s where having any old degree would get you a plum job. A good institution will teach you to excel, not just academically but into a well-rounded individual through extra-curricular activities. In other words, don't be exam result oriented when you go shopping for a new school. Look at the infrastructure (ball courts, swimming pool, auditorium and cafeteria) student evaluation of teachers (what, teacher's are not evaluated?) and it's always good to talk to ex-students (The "I love/like/hate/adore campus" Club).
Making a choice is difficult and a bad one will change your life and end up as a waste of time and effort (see Kapil's Story). Indu Chemjong, Principal of Campion Kathmandu College believes, "Making choices is an integral part of our daily lives and the biggest question is whether we make the right one or not. The right choice is the bottom line of every success story."
The Rundown
To make your job easier, here is the WAVE rundown:
Tribhuvan University (TU), which was established in 1958, offers Proficiency Certificate Level, also called the Intermediate Level. Kathmandu University (KU) had its first batch in 1991 and promotes the Intermediate Level. Mahendra Sanskrit University (MSU) opened its doors in 1986 and has the Uttar Madhyama Examinations but the most popular is the Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB or +2) started in 1992. Yes, there are colleges that offer A-Levels but the king of the heap is definitely the HSEB, which has quite a good reputation with an updated curriculum, new methods of study and of course, encouraging results. More than 1,000 private colleges offer HSEB in Nepal with umpteen courses and 'streams' leading to many attractive careers.
Science
Science remains the most popular on the +2 scheme because it opens the path to engineering or medicine. Apart from compulsory subjects like English and Nepali, there are choices between biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. ISc students can only take mathematics or biology in the second year. More than 73 percent pass without a hitch.
Management
Commerce and Management are almost the same although the latter has a wider scope. Business, trade, accounting, marketing, economics are Commerce subjects. Management students also have to study the management of business and organizations like hotels and tourism. More than 60 percent pass the HSEB board exam in Commerce and Management.
Humanities
Humanities has the largest number of subjects: from social sciences, arts, to economics and even dance and music. It's a mix n' match combination and a student with an eye to a politics can get a good foundation with political science along with history and Nepali as a major for a career as a smart politician or a political analyst.
Law
An Intermediate in Law from TU is more appropriate even though it can be your Bachelors degree (LLB). It'll take five years to complete the degree and there are nine subjects, so be ready for the challenge. HSEB will be introducing Law very soon.
Education
Higher secondary schools offer a two-year higher secondary program in Education, which is a formal program for primary school teachers. The Ministry of Education also organizes primary teacher training programs. TU offers a two-year Certificate in Education. The minimum requirement is a SLC qualification. It can be expanded for a year or three towards a Bachelor's degree.
Fine Arts
The stream of Intermediate in Fine Arts (IFA) is for creative students with talent. The curriculum includes the basics of drawing and painting, and sculpture. English and Nepali are compulsory subjects. Colleges for IFA are Lalit Kala Campus at Ratna Park and Srijana Institue of Fine Arts at Ghanta Ghar among others.
Forestry
If you are interested in conservation and environment, forestry provides advanced training in forestry and natural resource, conservation and management including research and development of forestry technology suitable for Nepal. Two institutions (Hetauda and Pokhara) offer Proficiency in Certificate Level (PCL) in Forestry, which is equivalent to +2.
Hospitality Management, Tourism Management and Hotel Management
Colleges like Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NATHM) offer access only after the completion of the intermediate level. However, they also offer some short-term courses for waiters, room boys, chefs, etc. Students can begin their hospitality careers after these courses.
Nursing
Nursing is popular among girls. The main attraction is job options. Sharda Nursing Campus, Teaching Hospital Nursing Campus are few campuses that teach nursing.
Fashion Designing
Local institutes in Nepal offer certificate level courses that generally run between 4 - 8 months. Students are taught computerized art designing (CAD), graphic designing etc. To join the diploma level one has to complete +2 or an equivalent level of studies. Namuna Institute of Fashion Technology is the first to provide academic education in fashion and design up to the Bachelor's level.
Agriculture and Veterinary
CTEVT has a 3-year Diploma in agriculture and veterinary practice. This is equivalent to +2 or I.Sc. The Rampur Campus at Chitwan is the only government college in the country that provides general agriculture education along with veterinary studies. You can join the BSc if you have Pure Science at ISc or +2. The Himalayan Institute of Agriculture and Science and Technology also offers agriculture and veterinary studies at the Bachelor's level. CTEVT provides Junior Technical Assistant (JTA) course on agriculture for SLC students. A year of Junior Technician after JTA is equivalent to ISc.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit is the base of our language and can be fun for the literate mind. All Sanskrit campuses fall under Mahendra Sanskrit University (MSU). The Intermediate in Sanskrit is called Uttar Madhyama, equivalent to IA. Students from non-Sanskrit background can also join Sanskrit campuses to study the subjects provided at Uttar Madhyama.
Vocational courses
They qualify you to work in a certain field of your interest but are not usually valid for University academics. Plumbing, mechanics, computer software and hardware and secretarial courses are a few of the career options. If you think you have had enough of schooling and would like to jump into career, a vocational course could be just the ticket.
CTEVT
The Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) offers Technical Education and Vocational Training (TEVT) programs in Nepal. CTEVT offers training courses directly and there are many affiliated institutions. Hetauda Polytechnic in Hetauda, Tansen Nursing School in Tansen, and the School of Health Science in Bharatpur are branches of the CTEVT. At present, there are more than 165 affiliated private training institutes covering 47 districts of Nepal offering courses on diverse subjects like Electrical Engineering, Carpet Weaving, Therapy in Acupressure and Food Technical Assistant for the level equivalent to Intermediate or lower.
Computing
Opt for a computer course during your SLC break or while in college. It's not very advisable to leave academics and opt for a degree in computers because computer institute degrees are not eligible for university studies.
End Note
Explore and understand your strengths. Create opportunities. It is true that some careers have more windows of opportunities and less competition than the others. If you know what you want or love to do, this is the right time to decide and go for it. Have a long-term goal. Ask yourself what you want to be doing in ten years time. Now make a plan and work towards it.