Barpak Sulikot and Shahid Lakhan Rural Municipalities in Gorkha have announced cash prizes for students who score high marks in the Secondary Education Examination (SEE). Barpak Sulikot will award 100,000 rupees to students from its schools who achieve a 4 GPA, while Shahid Lakhan will give 50,000 rupees. Both municipalities will also provide prizes to encourage other students who achieve high results.
Barpak Sulikot has announced 50,000 rupees for students scoring 3.90 to 3.99 GPA, 25,000 rupees for 3.80 to 3.89 GPA, 20,000 rupees for 3.70 to 3.79 GPA, and 15,000 rupees for 3.60 to 3.69 GPA. Vishnu Bhatt, Chairperson of Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality, shared that the executive meeting on February 8 decided to reward high-achieving students.
“We announced the prizes so students work hard and feel encouraged,” he said. Bhatt added that the prizes will continue next year to improve education quality. “We trust that prizes boost students’ morale and inspire them to study diligently,” he said. From 10 secondary schools in Barpak Sulikot, 298 regular and 73 grade-improvement students, totaling 371, are participating in the SEE.
Shahid Lakhan Rural Municipality will also award 50,000 rupees to students scoring 4 GPA in grade 12. Those achieving 4 GPA in grade 8 exams will receive 10,000 rupees. According to Rajendra Khanal, head of the education section, SEE and grade 12 students scoring 3.90 to 3.99 GPA will get 40,000 rupees, while grade 8 students will receive 8,000 rupees.
Similarly, SEE and grade 12 students scoring 3.80 to 3.89 GPA will receive 30,000 rupees, and grade 8 students will get 6,000 rupees. Those with 3.70 to 3.79 GPA in SEE and grade 12 will get 20,000 rupees, and grade 8 students will receive 4,000 rupees. Students scoring 3.60 to 3.69 GPA in SEE and grade 12 will get 10,000 rupees, while grade 8 students will receive 2,000 rupees.
Khanal stated that the cash prizes were announced under the municipality’s annual program to encourage students. “Earlier, only the program was planned; the executive meeting specified the amounts,” he said. The municipality has allocated 200,000 rupees for this program. This year, 199 students from Shahid Lakhan are participating in the SEE, while 210 students are taking the grade 8 municipal-level exam.
Anupbabu Shrestha, a teacher at Shahid Smriti Secondary School in Ward No. 7, said the prize announcement motivates students to study. “It would have been better if announced earlier. It sends a message that students need to study,” he said. Sagar Shrestha, an SEE participant from Shahid Smriti Secondary School, said prizes from the municipality or school boost confidence. “Such prizes foster a competitive spirit. Knowing we’ll get rewarded, even if late, feels good,” he said.
The SEE, which began on Thursday, has 4,477 participants across the district. Of them, 3,441 are regular students in the general stream, and 99 are in the technical stream. For grade improvement, 916 are in the regular stream, and 21 are in the technical stream, according to the Education Development and Coordination Unit. The SEE also includes 16 hearing-impaired and 3 visually impaired students.
