Kathmandu - News was around School reopening, grade 12 examinations and higher education this week. It was followed by news reports on curriculum, international education, teachers, donations, infrastructure etc. 

As 'School Reopening Guideline' gave authority to Municipals to reopen the schools, community and institutional schools have started operating after eight months stated multiple reports. Students are reported being happy to return to school. However, there was also news that schools' academic session of mountain regions ended without opening the book.
As the risk of corona infection remains high, schools have made possible arrangements to operate classes. It also reported that though schools have reopened after a long time, the fear that students might catch the virus is very much alive.

There was also good news reported regarding the students of Namkha RM in Humla District that they have recovered from COVID-19 and RM is planning to reopen the schools as soon as possible. Whereas, the news reported that some schools were closed day after they opened as more coronavirus cases were reported in Shambhunath Municipality, Saptari district. The media also reported that the debate of opening schools in valley is still going on.

Picture  1: A student wearing a facemask takes the Grade XII board exam at an outdoor area in the school amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in Kathmandu was reported in the front page of The Himalayan Times on 25th November 2020 (10th Mangsir, 2077). 

Multiple news, letter, pictures and editorial were reported regarding grade 12 examinations this week.  An editorial stated that the concerned exam boards should not take extra time in publishing the results to make up for the time lost by the students. A full page article on grade 12 examination was also published reporting the students’ experience of sitting in the examination after a long time. Students' excitement that the fiscal year won’t be lost as exams are finally happening and the concern of the impact of the gap between classes and exams both were shared in the article. 

This week news as well as many pictures in the news was frequently found for reporting the management of grade 12 examinations with health precautions and misconduct by students and management.

Other news stated that Tribhuvan University (TU) has expedited the conduct of examinations in physical presence which were stopped due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Some institutes and faculties are conducting examinations while others are preparing to conduct examinations from the last week of Mangsir (2nd week of December). KU had conducted exams through online media previously. News reported that students from villages in Karnali have participated in the examination through an online medium, which was started by the Midwestern University. Due to the pandemic, the university arranged for students to take the exam via email, so the students took the exam at home. According to the Examination Management Office, 7,555 students of first, third and fifth semester undergraduate level and first semester of postgraduate level were in the examination, the news stated.

The news on the corruption case of Bhaktapur-based Nepal Engineering College was also reported this week. The former chairperson Lambodar Kumar Neupane was charged of defrauding the college of Rs. 7.8 million along with others in the College Board. The news also stated that a former CIAA commissioner had to step down after a sting operation showed him admitting that he accepted bribes worth millions in instalments to settle a corruption case against a number of board members of Nepal Engineering College who had made ‘illegal’ attempts to transform the public educational institution into a private college.

Picture  2: Students wearing face shields and masks attend their class as some schools were reopened in Khokana village on the outskirts of Lalitpur reported on the front page of THT on 27th November 2020 (12th Mangsir 2077). 

An international news stating “Colleges in United States mull new virus protocols for students’ return” was also reported this week. Other International news stated that schools will be closed until the vaccine against COVID-19 is available in the central Indian state of Delhi. The state government has concluded that it would not be right to open a school right now as the children will not be safe in school until the vaccine arrives.

Educational programs, including grade 1 and 11, are in a dilemma as the case in the Supreme Court on the implementation of school level curriculum remains unsettled for a long time, stated the news. Officials at the Ministry of Education were reported claiming that the implementation of the curriculum has been hampered by business interests rather than jurisdiction in other issues. The private school operators had been protesting against the curriculum from the very beginning for grade 11 and 12. Academic experts were also quoted stating that the curriculum should be reformed every decade to catch up with changing times, but business interest is reluctant to this hard worked academic reform over their profits. A letter to the editor by the president of HISSAN stated that the government was forcing a new curriculum in the difficult times where orientation for new curriculum was not possible. 
An opinion article stated that education as a subject of higher education has been neglected and thus becomes a choice of those who can’t afford other fields of education and did not perform well enough to study other subjects. It also stated that the subject has failed to gain the interest of sincere students as the curriculum and practices are not timely updated and is considered among easiest subjects. The writer stated that there is a need to bring timely reform in Education studies to bring in better students and thus may pave the way for systemic transformation of the education system from within.

Other news of the weeks are: First black student elected president of Harvard University student Union; Reconstruction of 90 percent school buildings in Kavre district completed; Foundation stone of paramedical building of Manmohan Technical University; Red Cross scholarships for 30 needy girls; Lecturer held with automatic pistol in Parsa.

'Education this Week' is a joint effort to analyze the press coverage of education in Nepal’s selected print and online media published in Kathmandu. The main aim of this effort is to identify and explain major education issues picked up by the media and give back and foreground of the news. This, we believe, will help policy makers and other responsible people to keep abreast with ongoing concerns and discussions on and around education. EduKhabar, in collaboration with the Center for Educational Policies and Practices (CEPP) , has produced this analysis based on the news printed in Kantipur (Nepali) and The Himalayan Times (English), Dailies and online news portal SetoPati, NayaPatrika and My Republica between 25 November-1 December, 2020 (10-16 Mangsir, 2077) - Editor.

Read this analysis in Nepali : विद्यालय खुलेपछि विद्यार्थी खुसी