Budhanilkantha School

Budhanilkantha School, often referred to as BNKS, is a competitive public boarding school in Nepal. It is located in Narayanthan, 8 kilometres north of Kathmandu on the foothills of Shivapuri mountain (2,732 metres).[1] It is named after the Budhanilkantha Temple which is located nearby.

Budhanilkantha School
बूढानीलकण्ठ स्कूल
Budhanilkantha School
Address
Budhanilkantha-5

Budhanilkantha
,
Bagmati Province
44600

Nepal
Information
School typeBoarding School Government Funded Private School
MottoCentre of Excellence
Founded1972
School districtKathmandu
PrincipalHom N. Acharya
Staff200
Faculty80
Years taught8 years
Number of students1000 (approximately)
Sixth form students180
Student to teacher ratio10:1
HousesMakalu, Dhaulagiri, Hiunchuli, Saipal, Nilgiri, Pumori,Tilicho, Jugal, Choyu, Ratnachuli, Kanchenjunga, Annapurna, Byasrishi, Gaurishankar
Student Union/AssociationCouncil of School Prefects
SloganCenter of Excellence
Fight songOou-Way-O-Wa-O-Wa
NicknameBNKS
PublicationBhanjyang
EndowmentFunded by Government of Nepal and alums
GraduatesApproximately 4000
Affiliations
Websitebnks.edu.np

One-third of pupils are granted scholarships based on merit and need, after an entrance examination held in all the 77 districts of Nepal.[2]

History
Saraswoti (the goddess of learning) Temple at Budhanilkantha School

Budhanilkantha School was established in 1972 as a joint venture between the governments of Nepal and the United Kingdom. The first batch of students took the School Leaving Certificate Examination (the national exam that is equivalent to the British O level) in 1980. In 1983, English was made the official language of instruction at Budhanilkantha School. Cambridge International A level and O level, administered by CAIE of the University of Cambridge was introduced in 1985.

Budhanilkantha School converted from a boys' single-sex school to a co-educational institution in 1992. Co-education at Budhanilkantha has been successful.

In 1994, the British management handed over the administration to Nepalese management.

Overview

The school is a full boarding school for students from 5th grade to A level, aged 10 to 19.

Although the school is governed as a Public Educational Trust, it charges tuition fees for most students and also receives funding from the Ministry of Education. This makes the school a blend of private and public school. Approximately one-third of the students receive scholarships based on merit and need.

Academics

The school operates three courses of study:

  1. School Leaving Certificate level (a nationwide curriculum up to class 10 prescribed by the Department of Education of Nepal),
  2. Cambridge International A-Level
  3. 10+2 Level (Higher Secondary Education Board of Nepal, an equivalent alternative to A-Level).
View of the snow-clad Shivapuri mountain from the Middle Pitch

Students must pass an entrance exam to gain admission into the school. Normally, entrance examinations are taken for entry into class 5 and post SLC levels. This is intended to continue the high academic status of the school.[3]

Out of 118 students who took the School Leaving Certificate Examination 2014, 103 secured Distinction and the rest 15 students passed in the First Division.[4]

Budhanilkantha School was the first school to introduce GCE Advanced Level in Nepal.[5] It currently offers A-Levels in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Economics, Business Studies, Computer Science, Accounting and English Language. It is compulsory for students to sit exams in five subjects. Mathematics and English Language have to be studied by all students. Most students choose to study science-based subjects and some choose to combine sciences and social sciences. In A-Level exams of the year 2010, 12% of entries from the school secured grade A* and 30% entries secured grade A. 56% entries from the school secured more than or equal to grade B. 73% of the total entries, excluding General Paper, was on either math or science subjects.[6] Budhanilkantha students regularly feature in the Cambridge outstanding achiever list as the best achieving A-Level candidates in Nepal and worldwide.[7][8]

Governance

The school is managed under the Public Educational Trust. The Ministry for Education being the main trustee, the Board of Trustees (BOT) is chaired by the Education Secretary of Nepal. The School Management Committee (SMC) is responsible for the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of all policy-level matters. The Principal takes care of the day-to-day administration with the help of two Vice-Principals, Chief Administrative Officer and a team of Senior Management Team (SMT). The school is also supported by Friends of Budhanilkantha School (FOBS), the parents' representative association and the Society of Ex-Budhanilkantha Students (SEBS). They also actively participate in the school governance.[9]

The present principal of the school is Hom Nath Acharya. There are currently two vice principals in the school; Mr. Deepak Kayastha and Mrs. Timila Shakya Acharya.[10]

The list of Headmasters/Principals of the school are as follows:

  1. John B Tyson, Headmaster Designate (1966)
  2. Peter J Wakeman, Headmaster (1972 to 1977)
  3. Ken Jones, Headmaster (1978 to 1982)
  4. Dr. Tej Ratna Kansakar, Acting Headmaster (1983)
  5. John Tyson, Headmaster (1983 to 1988)
  6. Brian Garton, Headmaster (1989 to 1992)
  7. Thomas Thomas, Headmaster (1992 to 1994)
  8. Satyanarayan Rajbhandari, Principal (1994 to 1995)
  9. Narayan Prasad Sharma, Principal (1996 to 2012)
  10. Keshar Khulal, Principal (2013 to 2019)
  11. Hom Nath Acharya, Principal (2019 to till date)
Students using the Learning Resource Centre

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-10-29. Retrieved 2010-09-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "About Us - Budhanilkantha School". Bnks.edu.np. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-07-21. Retrieved 2010-09-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2010-09-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-02. Retrieved 2010-09-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "News - Budhanilkantha School". Bnks.edu.np. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  7. "Latest news". Cambridgeinternational.org. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  9. "School Management - Budhanilkantha School". Bnks.edu.np. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  10. "Senior Management Team (SMT) - Budhanilkantha School". Bnks.edu.np. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  11. "About Ujwal Thapa". WhyNepal.com. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
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