This is a short guide because the honest answer is short. Nepal is a market where we could not verify the central legal question, so we set out what we can establish, what we cannot, and then the fact that shapes a Nepali family’s decision far more than the unresolved one does — which is geography rather than law.
What we can establish
Education in Nepal is administered by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Basic education is compulsory, and families should confirm the current age boundaries with the Ministry rather than take them from a provider. The national qualifications are the Secondary Education Examination at the end of grade 10 and the National Examinations Board examinations at grades 11 and 12. Private and institutional schools operate under government registration and oversight arrangements. Smartious is not a registered Nepali school, issues no Nepali qualification, and does not teach toward the SEE or the NEB examinations.
What we could not establish
Nepal’s position on parental home education. We could not verify it against a primary instrument and will not guess in either direction. What we would add is what we say in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Bangladesh: an absence of clear regulation is an absence of protection rather than a permission, because where a matter is unaddressed there is nothing for a family to demonstrate if the question is raised. Put it to the Ministry directly and keep the answer.
Why the distinction is familiar here
Nepali families already choose between the NEB route and the A-Level route at grade 11, and understand that they lead to different certificates with different recognition. So when we say our teaching sits alongside a school rather than replacing it, and that we do not teach toward the SEE or the NEB examinations, that lands as an ordinary statement rather than a complication. What we teach is the internationally examined track; the domestic record stays with the school.
The fact that matters more: one valley
A-Level provision in Nepal is concentrated almost entirely in the Kathmandu valley — the leading schools and the A-Level colleges are essentially all within it. For a family in Pokhara, Biratnagar, Bharatpur or Butwal, choosing the A-Level route at grade 11 has traditionally meant sending a child to Kathmandu: a second household, a separated family and a considerable cost, at sixteen. That is a heavy price for a subject teacher, and it is a geographic problem rather than an educational one. A live class of four to six drawn from several cities and countries removes it entirely — the child stays home and the specialist comes to them.
And within the valley, a second problem
Even in Kathmandu the subject list is not unlimited. A good A-Level college still cannot justify a specialist and a room for four students who want Further Mathematics, or three who want a third science, or two who want Computer Science at A-Level. That is the same arithmetic we describe in Cyprus, Bangladesh and Uruguay, and the same answer applies: in a live group drawn across countries, four becomes a full class.
The clock, which is the most unusual in the world
Nepal runs Nepal Time at UTC+5:45 with no seasonal clock changes — the only country in the world on a forty-five-minute offset, and worth stating precisely rather than rounding. Our teaching base runs UTC+3, so Nepal is two hours and forty-five minutes ahead: a four o’clock class in Kathmandu is quarter past one in the afternoon for our teachers, six o’clock is quarter past three, eight is quarter past five. All ordinary teaching hours, and it works identically in Pokhara, Biratnagar or Butwal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is homeschooling legal in Nepal?+
We could not verify a position from a primary instrument and will not guess. Basic education is compulsory and administered by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. An absence of clear regulation is not a permission — put the question to the Ministry directly.
Do you teach the SEE or the NEB examinations?+
No. We are not a registered Nepali school and issue no Nepali qualification. We teach Cambridge, Edexcel, IB and AP — the same distinction families here already make at grade 11.
Would our child need to move to Kathmandu at grade 11?+
Not for the teaching. A-Level provision is concentrated in the valley, and live delivery supplies the subject specialists where you already are.
What time are classes?+
After-school. Nepal runs UTC+5:45, two hours and forty-five minutes ahead of our teaching base, so a four o’clock class in Kathmandu is quarter past one in the afternoon for our teachers.
