“Measuring What Matters: Inclusive & Competency-Based Assessments for Nepal”

Nepal’s education system is at a transformative journey currently guided by the School Education Sector Plan (SESP) 2022–2032, the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and others.

The foundational values that are envisioned in an assessment system are inclusive, equitable, continuous, competency-based, and learner-centered. In alignment with national policies and global commitments such as Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), Nepal has also been shifting its assessment practices gradually away from rote-based examinations towards child-friendly, formative, and inclusive approaches that capture the diverse learning needs and strengths of every student.

At the heart of this transformation is the realization that assessments must serve learning, not merely certification based on rote memorization. Especially in early grades (1–3), the Continuous Assessment System (CAS) has been envisioned as a core practice with methods such as classroom observations, student portfolios, project-based learning, group activities, creative expression, and attendance-based evaluations, replacing high-stakes exams.

These tools are aligned with the key learning domains and sub-skills outlined in the integrated curriculum, reflecting Nepal’s holistic vision of student development. CAS promotes equitable learning opportunities by recognizing that children, especially those from marginalized groups such as girls, children with disabilities, linguistic minorities, and students from Dalit and Indigenous communities, could also demonstrate their competencies in varied and contextual ways. This is an intentional step toward building an inclusive assessment culture that values diverse strengths and learning styles.

Assessment strategies in Nepal has also been evolving progressively across grade levels. In Grades 4 and 5, a blended model of 50% CAS and 50% periodic summative assessments have been envisioned that learners are gradually introduced to formal evaluations while maintaining a focus on formative or classroom-based continuous practical assessments. In Grades 6 to 7, the model shifts to 60% summative and 40% CAS, preparing students for structured assessments without losing sight of equity and inclusiveness.

Importantly, Grade 8 examinations are now locally administered and overseen by municipal governments with support from Education Development and Coordination Units (EDCUs). This decentralization is promoting context-sensitive assessments, strengthening local ownership, and ensuring that testing reflects the linguistic, cultural, and geographical realities of students.

However, it has been realized that the success of all these models depends heavily on teachers’ capacity and institutional readiness to implement and interpret assessment data effectively which is becoming a challenge currently.

Toward balanced, inclusive, and equitable assessment practices, Nepal’s education policies and provisions are promoting a balanced integration of formative and summative assessment to drive students’ growth, curricular alignment, and system’s accountability. This approach recognizes that formative assessments should play a crucial role in identifying learning gaps, providing timely feedback, and personalizing support/differentiated instruction, and summative assessments should measure academic progress and inform policy decisions at key transition points.

To ensure that all learners are assessed fairly, especially those at risk of exclusion, it has been realized from all sectors that assessment practices should strengthen inclusive and equitable assessment tools which reflect Universal Design for Assessment (UDA) principles, offering accommodation such as extra time, alternative formats, and assistive technologies for children with disabilities and diverse learning needs.

Likewise, culturally and linguistically responsive assessment has also been realized given Nepal’s rich diversity where assessments should consider the students’ languages, local contexts, and cultural practices ensuring relevance and accessibility. Equally, competency and evidence-based tools such as portfolios, project work, creative tasks, and real-life simulations are essential to be employed to evaluate both academic skills and competencies like collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving.

All these efforts echo the goals of the National Curriculum Framework and the Inclusive Education Policy, which emphasize equity, participation, and recognition of diverse learning pathways.

For bridging local realities with global commitments, Nepal’s assessment reform should also be shaped by its global commitments under SDG 4, particularly Indicator 4.1.1, which tracks the proportion of learners achieving Minimum Proficiency Levels (MPLs) in reading and mathematics at Grades 2/3, 4/5, and 8 as disaggregated by sex, location, disability, and socio-economic status including other AMPLs indicators.

To respond effectively to this commitment, Nepal should consciously align its assessments with international benchmarks and tools to monitor foundational skills, inform instruction and guide or contextualize MPLs. Global Proficiency Framework(GPF) tools should not be adopted as it is for comparison but can be used as reference to strengthen national education systems for improving equity, transparency, and instructional quality.

They can provide targeted policy and program development based on disaggregated or actionable data; teacher professional development, especially on inclusive and competency-based assessments; curriculum and pedagogy reform, driven by real-time learning evidence; system accountability from the classroom to the federal level.

Despite progressive direction, several challenges persist in Nepal’s diverse context. For instance, teachers’ capacity to design and implement inclusive and competency-based assessments remains limited; formative assessment tools are underutilized or not well understood at the school level; data use is often fragmented or irregular or misaligned with global standards; diverse learners, including children with disabilities and multilingual backgrounds, are not consistently supported in assessments; assessment literacy among education leaders and municipalities is still developing.

These gaps constrain the full realization of Nepal’s curriculum goals and hindering the use of assessments for improving teaching and learning.

To overcome these barriers and build a coherent and sustainable assessment system, aligning assessments with MPLs and GPF is necessary where this ensures that learning progress is measured meaningfully and comparably across schools and provinces. Building teacher capacity through pre-service and in-service training where teachers will be equipped to deliver formative, inclusive, and child-centered assessments. Institutionalization of Universal Design for Assessment (UDA) framework is important where guidelines and tools will be implemented or adapted to support inclusive assessments for learners with disabilities and diverse needs.

We need to strengthen the data systems where the ‘Integrated Education Management Information System (IEMIS)’ will be enhanced to capture disaggregated assessment data by gender, caste, disability, language, digital divide and location, allowing for equity-focused decision-making. Similarly, scaling successful pilots like EGRA/EGMA or localized and contextualized tools will be used to guide instruction and identify learning gaps early. Additionally, enhancing governance at the local level where rural/municipalities will be supported to implement, analyze, and act on assessment data as part of evidence-informed planning and budgeting.

Importantly, high-quality assessment data are necessary to transform teaching practices and improve learning outcomes. When integrated into regular school practices and policy cycles, such data can identify learning gaps and provide targeted interventions; inform teacher development and classroom strategy; support inclusive teaching, ensuring marginalized learners are not left behind; monitor progress toward national goals and allocate resources effectively.

However, these potentials are underutilized in Nepal due to limited data quality, infrequent assessments, and weak feedback loops between schools and decision-makers. Building assessment and data literacy across all tiers from teachers and headteachers to provincial to municipal planners is essential for fostering a culture of data use for learning.

For that, Nepal must gradually institutionalize robust and scalable assessment systems by conducting regular assessments at key stages (Grades 2/3, 4/5, and 8); applying policy linking and AMPL approaches to relate national results to global standards (SDG 4.1.1); ensuring psychometric quality and comparability through standardized tools and data management protocols; avoiding reliance on donor-driven one-off assessments, and building national ownership, systems, and institutional capacity.

This is the time for reframing the narrative of assessments that enable learning. Effective assessment is not merely about measuring what students know rather it is about unlocking what they can do or become. To achieve Nepal’s education goals, we must measure what matters, focusing on competencies, creativity, and critical thinking rather than content recall.

Assessment must inform instruction, driving improvements in pedagogy and students’ learning outcomes. Development partners, the government, and civil society must collaborate to strengthen assessment systems, teachers’ capacity, and data use. All stakeholders, from learners to governments must be engaged, ensuring that the system is both inclusive and accountable.

In a nutshell, Nepal has made commendable progress in envisioning an inclusive and competency-based assessment system through its curriculum and policy frameworks. Yet, implementation remains uneven, and opportunities for using assessments to enhance equity and learning are not fully realized.

To meet the aspirations of the SESP, the Inclusive Education Policy, SDG 4 and so forth, Nepal must invest in sustainable systems, capacitate its educators, and institutionalize inclusive, formative, and globally aligned assessment practices. These efforts will not only raise learning outcomes but also ensure that every child regardless of background has a fair and meaningful opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed.

– The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the views or positions of any affiliated organization.