KATHMANDU: The Nepal Nursing Council has released the results of the 34th nurse registration (license) examination, revealing that over 80 percent of nurses did not pass the test.

The outcome of the Staff Nurse (PCL Nursing) license examination, conducted last Saturday, has raised concerns about the standard of nursing education.

According to Sakuntala Prajapati, the spokesperson of the examination committee, out of a total of 1,270 PCL nursing participants, only 246, accounting for 19.34 percent, successfully passed.

Similarly, in the B.Sc Nursing license examination held on the same day, over half of the candidates failed. Out of 414 B.Sc Nursing participants, only 203, approximately 49.03 percent, managed to pass.

Prajapati explained, ‘The high failure rate in the PCL exam is attributed to the complexity of the questions. Many of the candidates were not new students. PCL represents the sole category of students in Nepal, including those who previously struggled with the exam, resulting in a weaker show in the current examination.’

Additionally, Prajapati noted that the exam results suffered due to the inclusion of students who had previously failed in the B.Sc Nursing exam.

The 34th nurse registration examination occurred from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM on Saturday at the Nepal Army Institute of Health Sciences, Sanobharyang, and Bagmati College, Sukedhara.