Kathmandu - This week there was very few news on educational matters. News on hundreds of schools yet to be rebuilt was the most covered issue in the media this week. Opinion articles on innovation in the education system enforced by the pandemic was also covered in the media.

 

- News reported that 140 school buildings in Makwanpur destroyed by the earthquake have not been rebuilt yet. Reconstruction of the school has been halted due to lack of land and disputes, low number of students and lack of road access, stated the news. 

 

- Another news stated that 1,519 schools damaged by the earthquake in 31 districts have not been rebuilt. The children of these schools are forced to study in dangerous buildings and temporary structures. Despite the target to complete the reconstruction within five years, the work of many schools remains to be done by the time the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA)’s Central Level Project Implementation Unit (Education) expires. The remaining schools will be constructed by the Ministry of Education, stated the news.  

- Another piece of news stated that the reconstruction of 23 school buildings in three districts (Dhading, Makwanpur and Kavre) has come to a standstill after the operator of a construction company was arrested.

 

- An opinion article expressed its concern with teachers losing interest in additional knowledge. Education has not become productive due to the habit of not reading books of our teachers who have the responsibility of acquainting the students with life and the world. In order to make education productive, teachers in the teaching profession need to read additional newspapers and books. The writer further suggested that it is necessary for the headmaster and the school management to create an environment for reading, teaching and discussion. 

 

- Another piece of opinion article expressed the need to equally prioritize knowledge and skills of students. It called for reform in pedagogy and assessment methods to ensure equal attention to skills and learning based approach. The article stated that the present school and academic systems are still based and focused on teachers and teaching, while there is a need for systemic reform to bring focus towards learners and learning. This will support diversity in knowledge creation, research based self-determined investigative learning. The article also stated that the COVID pandemic has in ways helped reform the education system through disruption to pedagogy. 

 

- A letter to the editor expressing concern stated that as Tribhuvan University suspended all semester and yearly exams after the government imposed prohibitory orders, students have lost their academic year. It further wrote that the education sector that has suffered the most since the outbreak of the coronavirus, whose end seems quite uncertain, questioned how we could make up for the educational loss that we have incurred due to the pandemic. 

 

- Other news this week included an international news on US eases COVID curbs on Chinese students and Pondicherry University orders all foreign students to leave the hostel due to COVID pandemic. 

Abbreviations:  COVID- Corona Virus Disease, RM- Rural Municipality, TU- Tribhuvan University, KU-Kathmandu University, AFU- Agriculture and Forestry University, MoEST- Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, TUSC- Tribhuvan University Service Commission, NGOs- Non-Governmental Organizations, NRA- Nepal Reconstruction Authority.

'Education this Week' is a joint effort to analyze the press coverage of education in Nepal’s selected print 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 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) between 28 April-4 May 2021 (15-21 Baisakh, 2078) - Editor.

Read this analysis in Nepali : पुनर्निर्माण र विद्यालय बन्दमा केन्द्रित साता