National 3 (Spotlight Weekly)

Growing Disparities

A large number of students from government schools fail the SLC examinations

By A CORRESSPONDENT

Sambhu Khadka of Mahalaxmi High School of Luvu in Lalitpur district does not know what to do next. He could not find his serial number in the School Leaving Certificate examination results announced last week. Frustrated and desperate, Khadka is uncertain whether to appear a third time in the exam next year. Dozens of students like Sambhu face a similar dilemma. As a student of a government school, Sambhu considers the SLC examination is as an iron gate for his career. Politicized and ignored, government schools throughout the country have failed to provide quality education compared to the private boarding schools.

"How can a student of a government school pass the exam when he hardly attends 150 days of class a year," says Sambhu. "There is frequent political intervention and frequent closures. The teachers usually prefer to remain absent," he says.

Who is to blame for Sambhu's plight? Teachers at government schools draw the same salary their private-school counterparts get. There is very little difference between the two groups of teachers in other ways. Why then is the quality of education in private schools better?

"In private schools, the principal hires and fires teachers on the basis oft their performance, but the headmasters in government schools cannot do that," says Hit Bir Singh Kansakar, headmaster of Paroparkar High School. "Once a teacher secures permanent appointment, headmasters cannot do anything to him. There is too much politicization in the teachers association, Teachers often use political influence in case we take any action."

Among the 152,334 students who appeared for this year's SLC exam, only 47, 565, or 31.22 percent, were able to secure the pass mark. Government schools represented merely 29 percent of successful examinees. Although more than 100,000 students failed, nobody seems to be worried about their future.

As the quality of government schools is eroding each year, getting the SLC certificate has become an impossible dream for a large number of rural students. In boarding schools, the pass percentage is comparatively higher.

"If we don't secure hundred percentage results in the SLC, no one will send their children to our schools," says Umesh Pradhan, principal of Little Angels School. "Our student enrolment is dependent upon the quality of education we provide to the children."

What is the future?

The future of the students who failed remains bleak, as they do not find suitable work. As the government is yet to introduce technical schools to train such youths, those in the 15-19 age group have to survive amid humiliation.

"The government must develop a long-term plan to take care the large number of students who failed in the examination. If these younger people aged between 16 and 19 years do not get appropriate work, they will create a long-term threat to the country," said Dr. Bidyanath Koirala, an education expert.

In absence of proper training and work, these students have to spend a year doing nothing. The government does not have any program for youths that have failed the SLC. "One cannot rule out the possibility of these frustrated youth joining in violent activities," said an education expert.

At a time when the country's main priority is in the political front, there are no leaders to think about the future of these youths, whose energy and strength will spent in desperation and frustration. When the country is encouraging literacy in the country, one has to think about the future of such big chunk of students.