KATHMANDU - The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) has started the process of implementing the policy of merging public schools with low number of students through the Municipalities, the news was made public last week. Despite the government's policy of merging schools with low number of students, it is difficult to merge many schools for few students having to walk for hours to get to school, the news mentioned.

According to the news published in Onlinekhabar news portal, the number of schools with less than 100 students is 16,000 and schools with up to 500 students are 10,000. There are 1,600 hundred schools with up to 1,000 students, 449 schools with up to 1500 students, 136 schools with up to 2000 students and 100 schools with more than 2000 students. There are 27,000 public (community) schools and 7 thousand 9 hundred for-profit and private investment schools across the country.

The constitution mentions that it is the fundamental right of citizens to get Basic Education (Class VIII) free and compulsory. Parents whose children do not pass Class VIII by 2028, may not even get government services and the children not qualified for formal jobs. The government is pushing the process of amalgamation of schools, saying that there are too few students and the school is not viable but also has not opened new schools where the number is high. At the least schools should be relocated to places where the population has increased (especially due to in migration). 

When the number of students in public schools declines due to poor educational quality or decreased parental trust, the government cannot shirk its responsibility to improve educational quality and restore parental trust. As the government only closes the schools on the grounds that the number of students has decreased, it manifests that the government is trying to avoid the responsibility of protecting the fundamental rights of citizens and seeking to promote private schools. Statistics of the Ministry of Education show that while the number of public schools is gradually decreasing, the number of private schools is increasing. 

Most of the schools having low number of students are the primary level schools that teach from 0-3 grades and many of them are from remote areas. It is natural that the number of students in those schools is less than the standard set by the government when the population was high (almost 3%), in the current context (under 1%). 

When those schools will be closed, the young children of their service area will be deprived of the right to study as the school is far away. Even if there are only two pupils, it is the government's responsibility to make arrangements for those students to study. When a school is merged, it is necessary to make reliable alternative arrangements for the children of the school's service area. There can be many alternatives. 

Despite much clamor, the school's service area has not been demarcated, including projections of expected service area population fluctuations. Demarcation is desirable before a decision is made. On the one hand, there is hesitancy to do the demarcation before making amalgamation of schools, and on the other hand, the effect of private schools on public schools can be one of the reasons.

The current policy and practice of merging schools appears aimed at closing down public schools and making room for private schools. If the government is committed to public education, It should change the school merger policy and find an alternative. There are few examples of schools with fewer students being managed under the management of another school trusted by the community. New modes of management need to be sought. If there are too few students, they can be contracted for homeschooling with an individual – as an idea or fees subsidized to a private school. 

After the improvement in public schools in the Raskot Municipality of Kalikot, students have come back from private schools from the cities, the news published. Even in the lower grades, the number of students coming from private schools has increased. Students are attracted after the provision of computers, classrooms, drinking water, toilets, science laboratories, playgrounds, etc.  mentioned the news.

There was news that Syangja Fedikhola Rural Municipality (RM) has campaigned for a mandatory 'One School, One Enterprise’ programme. According to the news, schedule has been made to teach entrepreneurship to the students of Classes 6 to 8 in basic schools and 6 to 9 in secondary schools a day per week.

In an interview of MoEST Minister Bidya Bhattarai published in Kantipur, she mentioned the experience of political parties including her own obstructing efforts of improvement of education. Stating that the issue of authority up to the secondary level remains in the municipality and where the teachers will be is complicated, teachers should be teachers and teachers should be treated with dignity and respect, she said. She expressed her opinion that private schools should be run from service orientation in the interview.

The MoEST has decided to remove the system of registering twice at the school level - in class 9 and class 11 and keeping it only in class 9, published the news. Similarly, Minister Bhattarai informed the press that the government is preparing to transfer the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) to the Provinces, the news quoted. Minister Bhattarai told further that the MoEST has asked for the opinion of the Ministry of Health and Population to provide health treatment facilities to teachers similar to civil servants, mentioned the news. There was also another news that the ministry is preparing to make health education mandatory at the school level, the news published. 

There was news that even though the National Examination Board has given opportunity to the students who could not pass the examination of Class 11 and 12 or did not get the expected grade for taking another examination, only 22,000 have applied. From the year 1999 to the year 2020 (a span of 21 years!), 1.4 million students who failed in those classes are eligible to participate in the examination, but the number of applicants is very low, the news quoted. 

There was the news that the Curriculum Development and Evaluation Council have instructed to make the History and Environmental Science curriculum for Classes 9 and 10 of the Secondary Level more contemporary and student-oriented within 15 days to the Curriculum Development Center (CDC). Similarly, it is reported that the Council has given consent in principle to the CDC for necessary preparations to include the students' household and daily life work in the internal assessment of the basic level Classes (6-8) and secondary level Classes (9-10).

Although there are 59 colleges affiliated to foreign universities, only 14 have met the prescribed criteria, so there was news that other colleges are going to be monitored further.

There was news that the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development of the Karnali Province Government has selected 27 public schools in Rukum West, which were damaged by the earthquake, for reconstruction. 

There was news that School Child Protection Policy has been prepared and implemented in two Municipalities in Makawanpur. Children's development, protection and participation are ensured in the Policy. It was mentioned in the news that the Policy has been made to provide equitable and participatory lifelong education to all children of school age in a child-friendly environment, and make schools accessible and maintain them in the schools. 

Students' education has been affected due to the lack of appointment of teachers in Malika Secondary School in Mahabu RM, Basi, Dailekh, there was a report. The appointment of Nepali subject teacher under federal grants has been stopped after a case was filed in the High Court, Surkhet, mentioned the news. 

After it was agreed that Tribhuvan University (TU) will publish the list of professors and staffs who will not return from study leave within two weeks and take action publicly, the five student organizations who were sit-in on a dharna outside TU Rector Prof. Dr. Khadg KC's office have ended their dharna, reported the event. 

There was news that the draft of the higher education bill has been advanced by envisioning three types of universities in Nepal namely Central, Provincial and Deemed.

In the report submitted by the Land and Property Investigation Committee of Nepal Sanskrit University to Minister Bhattarai, it was found that 225 hectares of land under the protection of political parties had been encroached upon, there was the news. Out of 417 hectares, 335 hectares are in Deukhuri in which 225 hectares have been encroached upon, the news mentioned.

Question were asked in both Nepali and English languages in the first year examination of TU under-graduate level, there was the news. After the exam, the university will conduct a survey on the impact of asking questions in both languages, the news mentioned. In the meantime, TU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Keshar Jung Baral has appointed four people as members of the executive council, there was news. 

It was mentioned in a news published in Ratopati online portal that the government has taken action against the teachers who are the members of a political party, but it is silent about the professors working in the universities. It was mentioned in the news that more than 14 political party-affiliated professorial unions are active in the TU alone.

The stand-in protest of Netra Chapagarin, president of the Socialist Student Union, affiliated to the Nepal Samajwadi Party, was ended after Minister Bidya Bhattarai and Chairman of the Education Committee of the Parliament Amber Bahadur Thapa went to Maitighar and promised to address his demands, the news published.  

In Kantipur, Giridhari Sharma Poudel wrote that it is essential to restructure the technical education and vocational training program in line with federalism as there is confusion about the work of the three levels of government in technical education.

Purpose of this news review is to classify and synthesize the educational content of the week and provide objective comments from the point of view of social justice and creative pedagogy including the environment. It is aimed at the policy makers and stakeholders to help make informed decisions. In this joint effort of the Center for Education Policies and Practices (CEPP) and EduKhabar, material from daily newspapers - Kantipur, Gorkhapatra and The Himalayan Times, online news portals - Online Khabar, Setopati and Ratopati and Nepal Television and Himalaya Television is summarized and presented with commentary on relevant issues. We have covered the contents from 4-10 January 2025 in this issue - The Editor.

Read last two week's analysis in Nepali : बिना नक्साङ्कन विद्यालय मिलान ?

Read last week's content : Last week in education