As a student of BALLB at Lumbini Buddhist University, I entered nearly 6 years ago (A few months remaining) not only to advance my career but also with the aspiration of promoting justice and equality in society and bringing about positive change, with hope in my heart and unwavering determination in my mind. And now this BALLB course is nearing its completion and the exam results of the 9th semester were announced 4 days earlier i.e.4 th Jestha, 2082(18 th May, 2025). The marksheet arrived on campus two days later and uponreviewing it, I felt compelled to write something about it.

The unfortunate reality is that as the first semester of the year progressed, especially after the results were out, my hope, excitement and determination slowly turned into a deep sense of disappointment, frustration and disillusionment. I am writing this not just for myself but for all those students who are struggling to get a law degree, dreaming big while spending millions of rupees not only for their careers but for the transformation of the entire society, still believing in the principles of fairness, merit and legal education. But thesystem is broken and everyone is complicit in keeping it that way.

From the very first semester, it became evident that the evaluation system at LBU lacks transparency, integrity and consistency. While I initially tried to rationalize the results perhaps assuming it was just an anomaly or a single oversight; however, repeated patterns made it clear that something was deeply amiss. The grading system is deeply flawed. Students who put in little effort and rarely participate in academic discussions often receive passing grades without much difficulty. In contrast, those who dedicate time to studying, prepare thoroughly and genuinely aim to excel are frequently left puzzled by unexpected and unfair results. What explains this discrepancy? The answer lies not in academic performance but in relationships with lecturers, with administration or with insiders. There are groups of students who maintain close ties with faculty members—some through flattery, others through political affiliations and some through strategic networking. These students consistently benefit from this bias, as their exam papers receive preferential treatment, their internal marks are inflated and their selection for events or academic opportunities appears predetermined.

The Culture of “Just Fill the Copy”
Perhaps the most shocking part of this broken system is the message we are constantly given: “Just write anything on the answer sheet. It doesn’t matter if it’s correct—–Just fill it up.” This isn’t merely hearsay; concrete evidence can be provided at any time and place, if required. This approach makes a mockery of education. The purpose of exams is to test understanding, analytical skills and the ability to apply legal knowledge etc. But when quantity is favoured over quality, when answers don’t even need to be correct and when simply writing gibberish earns a pass or higher marks, how can we pretend to be getting a meaningful legal education?

This tendency demoralizes hardworking and deserving students who lack the skill to flatter or ingratiate themselves with political parties and their affiliated wings. The question arises: if knowledge and accuracy in responses hold no value in education, what is the point of studying? Why prepare, why burn the midnight oil, why to comprehend intricate jurisprudence, the provisions and principles of the Constitution and national and international law, etc., when the examination results are predetermined and why to obey theinstitutions and their administration?

Internal Marks: A Black Box with No Accountability
Internal evaluation accounts for 40% of the total marks, which is a significant concern. These marks are supposed to reflect students attendance, timely submission of assignments, presentation, etc. However, in reality, none of these criteria have been measured systematically or transparently.

Our digital student portal is outdated and neglected. Attendance records have not been updated for years. Even when classes are conducted, lecturers do not keep track of who is legally present or not. Presentations; when they happen, are often rushed and incomplete due to poor course planning. With the exception of the initial semesters & the final one, students in our batch didn’t get the opportunity to make presentations in the remaining semesters properly, as the courses were not completed on time. So how are internal marks awarded? The reality is that these marks are awarded arbitrarily, often based on how lecturers “feel” about students, their behaviour in class or their perceived loyalty. This opens the door to extreme bias and favouritism. Internal assessments have become more of a political tool rather than an academic one.

Moot Courts, Clinical Law and Vivas: A Farce
One would expect courses like Moot Court and Clinical Legal Education to be handled with seriousness and attention, as these are crucial in preparing law students for real-world practice. However, the situation here is worse than disappointing to the point of shame. Reports are not read carefully. Vivas are conducted in a hurry, often lasting no more than 2 or 3 minutes. Questions asked are irrelevant, off topic or vague. No genuine attempt is made to understand whether a student has learnt anything during his/her internship or court visit. Marks are awarded on the basis of superficial conversations or even personal bias. External examiners are brought in merely for formality where they do not have the authority to award marks based on Vivas and reports. If you have a good term with respective lecturers, your grades are favourable. If not, your hard work makes little difference. This unfair approach not only harms our education but also undermines the significance of these essential subjects. It sends the wrong message: professionalism and dedication mean nothing if you know how to manoeuvre the internal politics.

Raising Concerns Against the System
Ever since my first semester results came out, I have been raising my voice against the flaws and injustices in our university system. Despite my initial efforts, I remained silent for almost two years, hoping for change. However, the situation has now reached a point where it is very difficult to bear. The system is not only unresponsive but also lacks transparency and fairness, which has driven students like me to despair and helplessness.

Retotalling and Rechecking Issues
I personally went through the process of retotalling from my 1 st to 5 th semesters, but my results never changed. I wanted to recheck a subject in my sixth semester and that turned out to be one of my most frustrating experiences. I had paid Rs. 6000.00 for a subject to see my answer sheet. Confident in my performance, I reviewed my answer sheets of broad exam (Accounting for 60% of the total marks) with the respective lecturers – who, despite checking thoroughly, could not find any error in my answers. However, the results remained unchanged and instead of clear answers and solutions, I was given only vague explanations. Now many juniors are facing the same problem – this seems justified under the guise of protecting the so-called of the university.

Student Silence and the Collapse of Accountability
One might wonder if the system is so arbitrary or corrupt, why don’t more students speak up?

The truth is, many students did speak out once, swayed by political support, about their test scores. In previous semesters, there was open conflict between students and the university administration over unfair results. Outrage was intense but instead of implementing meaningful reforms, the university took the easy way out by passing everyone. Suddenly, even the least engaged students began to succeed. Passing scores improved across the board and complaints disappeared. Why? Because most students were pacified, prioritizing short-term gains over long-term outcomes. As a result, the integrity of the system has collapsed. Today, only a few students are willing to speak out and those who do speak out like me are left isolated and unheard.

The Consequences: A Generation Set Up to Fail
The issue goes beyond just grades or passing exams—it’s about the quality of graduates we are producing. If this system continues, students will enter the legal profession without the essential skills and knowledge they need. The truth will be revealed when they face real challenges, such as the Bar Council Licensing Exam or other professional assessments. Will students who received high scores due to bias without truly understanding the content and context, be able to secure a career in law or succeed in any exam relevant to their field? I seriously doubt it. Even now, some faculty members, including lecturers, jokingly say, “No one fails in the ninth or tenth semester.” The ninth- semester results published four days ago seem to confirm their words. Is this the standard of legal education we are providing? If so, it raises serious concerns about the integrity and effectiveness of the system.

Why do Students Like Me Feel Like Leaving?
Now I understand why so many young people in Nepal choose to leave. It’s not because they don’t love their country but because they have lost faith in the very systems meant to educate, support and empower them. When education becomes a spectacle, when institutions are tainted by politics, nepotism and favouritism and when fairness is disregarded, hard work and merit areoverlooked and mediocrity is rewarded; talented and capable youth are left with no real choice.

Grade Discrepancies & Technical Errors Compared to Other Universities
Another major problem is the inconsistency of results. Some students are marked as “Passed” on the university website but their grade sheets indicate they have failed. When questioned, the administration calls these “technical errors.” If this is truly just a technical issue, why does this problem keep recurring? Such frequent errors show a deep flaw in the integrity and accuracy of the system. Furthermore, it is disappointing to see that while large universities based on student numbers like TU, PU, KU have managed the re- totalling and re-checking processes in a transparent and effective manner, our university has failed to maintain even basic standards. This raises serious questions about accountability and good governance within our institution.

Delays in the Academic Calendar
Other universities have already completed their 10th semester board exams. As a result, some students are preparing for the licensing exams, some could be involved in law firms, some might be doing something different as per their interest but our situation is starkly different. Due to internal politics and mismanagement, our board exams have been significantly delayed and are now scheduled to be held only from the 21st to the 28th of this month. This inconsistency has severely disrupted our educational journey and future planning.

Pulling-Up and Pushing-Down Culture
My university has a Pull-up and Push-down culture’ within the grading system. This refers to arbitrary and inconsistent grading practices that lead to unfair changes in students& academic standing. Due to the lack of accountability and accuracy in the system, the grades generated often fail to reflect students actual performance and abilities. As a result, some capable and well-performing A-grade students are unfairly pushed to B, while some B or C-grade students are pushed to A without merit. This distortion not only frustrates genuinely capable and hardworking students but also creates false perceptions about the achievements of others. Over time, such practices undermine academic integrity, reduce the credibility of qualifications and cast doubt on the institution’s credibility. If such a trend is not addressed in time, this flawed system risks producing unmarketable graduates, which will sooner or later impact the reputation of the institution.

A Call to the University, School of Law
The path that Lumbini Buddhist University, School of Law is currently taking is not only harming the students but also the credibility of the University’s School of Law. If it is to raise its honour, prestige and reputation to the pinnacle and make it famous and reputed throughout the country and even abroad, then the Law Faculty cannot be carried on at its current pace and mindset. In fact, the question of whether to follow the system or the whims and fancies of individuals is worth considering here.

Despite various concerns regarding teaching methods, style and processes, at the very least, lecturers should remain impartial and sincere in assessing students’ knowledge and capabilities. The faculty must be held accountable for ensuring fair and unbiased evaluation of students. Favoritism should never be protected or promoted under any circumstances.

Having personally experienced the consequences of repeated prejudice, I sincerely hope that no other students have to endure the mental anguish that I have faced. In the past, I have expressed my concerns through Facebook posts and other writings, addressing the university beyond the points mentioned here. And now, once again, I raise my voice through this article.

It is imperative that the current practices be swiftly changed and reflected in tangible actions. I hope to personally experience that change; otherwise, I will not remain silent. I will continue to write because silence itself is a form of failure.

Keshav Gharti Magar