Kathmandu, May 1 -- In Nepal's education system, the Class 12 examinations mark a decisive threshold. It shapes access to higher education and often determines the trajectory of a student's career. For many students from informal settlements in Kathmandu, however, this year's exams have become far more than an academic assessment. They have turned into a test of endurance amid sudden displacement, loss and psychological strain.

Last Saturday, government-led demolition drives in Thapathali, Gairigaun and Manohara settlements flattened hundreds of makeshift homes. Along with them, they disrupted the lives of students who were days away from sitting their final school examinations. For these students, the destruction was not only physical. ...