What are the future plans of our students in grades 10-12? by Anand, June 2021

I have asked all the SEA youngsters individually about their future education plans and here are their responses:  

Students in grade ten:

As a foreword, our 5 students in grade 10 have recently sit for the final examination of grade 10 (SEE) and left the HCA boarding school. 4 of them, namely Ashmita, Pratika, Ram maya and Ankit, have settled in the SEA Home, while Prabin has moved in with his maternal uncle who can cater for his basic needs (food & lodging). 

1. Ashmita: She is one of the brightest and hardest-working students of SEA. She has been doing very well in her academic examinations. When asked about her plans she told me that she wanted to join a Bachelor of Tourism and Travel Management (BTTM) course. To that end, she wants to choose Management at her Ten Plus two (+2) Education course (grade 11 and 12). For +2 courses, there are lots of colleges in Bhaktapur (the area where we currently live in the SEA Home), including Sunshine college (where Deepak and Saroj studied), Kwopa college (where Simran is studying), Sea bird college (where Rajendra, Usha and Sneha are now studying). There is also Chanakya college -located close to Sea bird college-, which is, from what we recently learned, the best college in Management in Bhaktapur. She can enroll in either of these colleges with a preference, of course, for Chanakya college. 

Ashmita, June 2021

2. Pratika: She is also a good student. She, too, has been doing well in her internal examinations. She told me that she would like to do a Diploma in Advanced multimedia and Animation (a 3-year course after grade 10). It is, however, difficult to know what the job opportunities could be once this course is completed. So, I advised her to do +2 and then join a Bachelor in IT or in Animation. She has consequently decided to do her +2 in Management in Computer Science, before planning to join a Bachelor in Multimedia and Animation. 

3. Ram maya: She is an obedient and disciplined student. She wants to enroll in Management in +2 because, later on, she would like to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management. For her +2, she can enroll in any of the colleges I mentioned above for Ashmita. 

Pratika, Usha and Rammaya, June 2021

4. Ankit: He is a fairly good student, albeit a bit weak compared to our other students, but he has good humor. He is somewhat immature as even now his activities are like those of little kids. He wants to enroll in a +2 course in Management to do, later on, a Bachelor in Management. 

5. Prabin: He has been doing well in his internal exams and also wants to enroll in a management course. Since from now on, he will be living with his maternal uncle, a possibility of college for him is MOLISS (Moon Light Secondary School) where I studied and where Samjhana is now studying in grade 12. MOLISS is a good +2 college in Nepal that he can join. But there are other options. 

Ankit and Prabin, June 2021

Student in grade eleven:

1. Simran: She has been living in the SEA Home for a year (since she passed her SEE exams) and is now studying in grade 11. Like all of us, she is now taking online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the currently enforced lockdown. At Heartland Boarding School (HCA), where she studied till grade 10, she was a good student. But her academic performance has markedly declined when she joined grade 11 at Kwopa college in Science. I have asked her why her marks have so suddenly deteriorated. She said that she is having an understanding problem due to online classes. She also said that the teachers do not send them lecture notes and the recordings of the classes, which enhances her understanding difficulties. I would add that Science is a difficult course, and it is inevitable that she is facing particular strains, especially since Kwopa college is a very demanding college. I hope that she will be able to overcome her difficulties. We will also help her to catch up with the course. After the completion of the intermediate level, she wants to enroll in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN). The duration of the course is 4 years. The fees for the 4-year bachelor education will be 10-12 lakhs NRs (approx. 8 000€). There are many Nursing schools in Nepal including the Nursing Institute of Health Science, the Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu University School of Medical Science, Chitwan Medical College, etc. There are also lots of nursing colleges outside the Kathmandu Valley. There is excellent professional scope for a nurse in Nepal. 

Simran, June 2021

Students in grade twelve:

1. Rajendra: He is a disciplined, loyal and extremely hard-working student. He took Science in +2. He has been struggling in Science, but he never gives up. He wants to do a Bachelor in Agricultural Science, which has great professional scope in Nepal given that Nepal is an agricultural country and that most of the research is being done on the field (like genetically modified plants and the many more projects which have been going on). The entrance examination is particularly selective. School fees depend on the university. If he can enroll in a government college, the fees will be about 3 lakhs NRs (approx. 2 200€) for the 4-year education. If he enrolls in a private college, the fees will be about 8 lakhs NRs (approx. 5 700€). In Nepal, public universities, unlike public schools, have high standards and a highly selective admission process. Most of the colleges which offer agricultures courses are situated out of the Kathmandu Valley. In the Kathmandu Valley, we have KU (Kathmandu University) and HICAST (Himalayan College of Agricultural Science and Technology). If he cannot secure admission in an Agriculture course, he will apply for a bachelor’s degree in Forestry, whose fees’ structure and entrance examination are similar to those of the agriculture course. Nepal has two institutions for forestry, offering a Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF), one in Hetauda and another in Pokhara, both affiliated to the Tribhuvan University. Most students want to study at the college in Pokhara, which is considered the best college for forestry in Nepal.

Rajendra, October 2020

2. Samjhana: She is now living with her parents. She is a good student. Currently, she is taking online classes on her mobile phone. She will be sitting for her class 12 board exams at a still unknown date owing to the disruptions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. After giving her final examination she will settle in the SEA home in Bhaktapur where she will have a much better study environment than in her own home. She wants to join a bachelor’s course in Hotel Management. For this course, she has lots of university options. For example, she can study at NATHM (Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hospitality Management), the best Management school in Nepal, where Sarita junior studied. If she is not admitted at NATHM, she can study at KUSOM (Kathmandu University School of Management), at Quest (where Suman is now studying) or at many other universities. The course duration will be 4 years. The usual fees are of the order of 6-7 lakhs NRs (approx. 5 000€) for the 4-year education, although it can differ depending on the university. 

Samjhana, June 2021

3. Sneha: She has been showing good academic results lately, though she is somewhat lazy compared to other students living in the SEA Home. Once she has passed her +2 exams, she would like to do a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Designing. The universities which offer such a course in Nepal are Namuna College of Fashion Technology Kathmandu, IEC School of Arts and Fashion, Kanjirowa National School and WLC College Nepal. All of these colleges are located in the Kathmandu Valley. The course duration is 3-4 years. The fees will be about 5 lakhs NRs (approx. 3 500€). We are not clear about the professional scope of Fashion designing in our country, but the fashion industry is growing rapidly in Nepal. As this course is career-oriented, students can get different jobs, such as designer, fashion journalist, embroidery designer, fashion trend maker, etc. They can also open their own boutique and customize clothing for customers. A plan B for Sneha in case she doesn’t join this course would be to do a bachelor in Social Work. 

Simran and Sneha, October 2020

4. Sun maya: She is a very good and hard-working student. She did very well in her internal examinations and is preparing to sit for the final examination of grade 12. She wants to enroll in a Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) course. This is a 4-year education which will not cost more than 4 lakhs NRs (approx. 3 000€) for the whole course, as Sun maya targets a public university. Her first choice would be to pursue her studies at the college where she is studying +2, which offers a BBS course.

5. Usha: She is a very good and hard-working student. She has already passed the entrance exam of the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), at CHRIST University, in Bangalore, India. This is a 3-year course, whose total cost is 11 000€, but for which she got a fee concession of 50% on a merit basis—meaning that her bachelor education will cost 5 500€ for SEA. Once she graduates, she will have very good professional scope if only because CHRIST University is one of the most reputed universities in India. In Bangalore, she will be welcomed by Pratikcha, Pasang and Samjhana (all current or former SEA students) who are living there.    

Usha and Pratikshya, 2019