The National Examination Board has adopted modern technology to automate the allocation of examination centers for Grade 12 students in Kathmandu district. This initiative, a first of its kind, aims to streamline the process and ensure fairness and efficiency in the selection of examination venues.
Developed in collaboration between the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology and the National Examination Board's technical team, a sophisticated software was introduced as a pilot project. Unlike traditional methods, this software employs an automated, randomized system to assign examination centers based on a variety of criteria including the number of students per school, available seating at each center, and the geographical distance between schools and potential centers.
The software calculates distance by utilizing the latitude and longitude of both schools and examination centers, ensuring that students are allocated to venues that are as close as possible to their educational institution. A notable feature of the system is its ability to distribute students in such a manner that no single center is overwhelmed; it strives to limit the number of students from the same school at any given center to a maximum of 150, wherever possible.
Furthermore, specific safeguards have been implemented to address and prevent potential issues. For instance, schools under the same management are deliberately assigned different examination centers. Centers with a history of complaints or issues have been excluded from the selection pool to maintain the integrity of the examination process.
In an effort to ensure transparency and encourage community involvement, the software and its methodology have been made open-source and are accessible on GitHub. This decision aligns with the principles of the open-source movement, inviting suggestions and contributions to further enhance and fully automate the system.
This innovative approach not only aims to eliminate the malpractice of buying and selling examination center slots but also facilitates a more convenient and equitable distribution of students across available venues. The National Examination Board has expressed intentions to gradually extend this method nationwide, heralding a new era in the administration of public examinations in Nepal.
