The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology in Nepal has decided to include students’ household work in their grading system.
According to Education Minister Bidya Bhattarai, the Curriculum Development Center has been tasked with creating the evaluation method. “We have asked the center to prepare a proposal for the method in consultation with experts within 15 days,” said Minister Bhattarai.
The ministry aims to move beyond assessing students solely based on their exam performance. “Evaluation should be multi-dimensional. Right now, it’s primarily based on writing during exams. That’s why we decided to revise the internal evaluation system,” she explained.
The new method will be developed with input from experts to avoid future challenges.
Director General of the Curriculum Development Center, Imanarayan Shrestha, mentioned that the method would be finalized and implemented soon. He stated that the system is being designed for rollout in the academic year 2082. The ministry plans to promote respect for labor and skills by integrating these aspects into the curriculum.
“Learning isn’t limited to books. We are adding elements that honor labor and skills, highlighting positive societal practices,” Minister Bhattarai said. “For example, how students assist their parents at home or behave in general will also be evaluated. Helping parents in farming or other tasks should be considered in their grading.”
Students will earn marks for activities like plowing fields, cutting grass, cooking, babysitting siblings, shopping, sewing clothes, or working in a blacksmith’s workshop.
Life skills learned at home, such as sewing or blacksmithing, will also count toward internal evaluations.
For grades 4 to 8, the exam structure includes 50 marks for internal and 50 marks for external assessments. For grades 9 to 12, internal assessments account for 25 marks, and external exams for 75 marks. A portion of the internal marks will now be allocated for evaluating household work.