Nepal Engineering Council has announced that only 565 candidates have passed the Engineer Professional Licensing Examination, out of the 1,981 who appeared for the test. The exam was held on 12th and 13th of Chaitra, with 22 categories of engineering being tested. This was the first time the Council had conducted the examination, which is now mandatory for anyone wishing to become an engineer in Nepal.
The Engineering Council had previously been issuing registration numbers on the basis of educational certificates. However, concerns about the quality of engineers in Nepal prompted the council to introduce the examination as a requirement for obtaining a license. The recently passed Nepal Engineering Council Act, 055 stipulates that, after completing their studies up to graduation, engineers must obtain a license and pass the exam to be allowed to work as engineers in the country.
The exam consisted of 100 marks and had a passing score of 50. However, only 28.5% of the examinees were able to pass. The council announced that the examination of 11 people who missed writing their roll number in the answer book had been cancelled. Those who did not pass the exam will not receive the council's certificate and will not be able to work as engineers throughout Nepal.
According to the council, over 77,000 people have taken licenses on the basis of educational certificates so far. However, 71.5% of the examinees who failed the exam will not be able to work as engineers in Nepal. This is a significant number, considering that over 8,000 students receive higher education from over 50 colleges where engineering is taught in the country each year.
The council's chairman, Padam Sahi, emphasized that the engineer's license exam was necessary to register an engineer entrepreneur. The council will only permit engineers who have passed the exam to work as engineers in the country. Previously, the council was allowing engineers to work without an examination, solely on the basis of their engineering pass certificate from the university.
