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COVER STORY |
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COVER STORY |
SLC RESULTS After the announcement of
the results of the School Leaving Certificate Examination 2003, more than 100,000 students
aged between 15-18 have been added to the pool of failed students. Only 32 percent of the
168,000 students who appeared in the exam are eligible for higher education. Never in the
past 50 years of history of education in Nepal were schools as frequently disturbed as
they were in the last two years. As student wings affiliated to the major political
parties call indefinite strikes at whim, irrespective of the logic or feasibility of their
demands, the overall teaching-learning atmosphere continues to suffer. As school education
lacks vocational courses, those students do not have other opportunities than to repeat
study and wait for luck to knock in other ways. Whatever results come out, there is nobody
to worry about the future of a large number of these youths By KESHAB POUDEL "When knowledge is extended the will becomes sincere. When the will is sincere, the mind is correct." This stanza from Confucius: ́The Great
Learningî shows how educating people was a desirable goal for a nation more than 2,500
years ago. Educating the population is still regarded as the primary concern of all
states. Experience has shown that the extension of knowledge is a pre-requisite for
all-round development of a nation. The Confucian stanza retains its relevance.
According to Lawrence Summers, president of Harvard University, in his article "Our
Next Assignment", "[I]n this century, the wealth and success of nations will
depend like never before on the ability to produce and use knowledge." One can see respect given to education even
in civil war-torn places like Aceh in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other parts of the world.
In all these states, no one challenges the right to education. Unfortunately, the
situation is different in Nepal, where the first victim of any upheaval is the education
institution.
Whenever any political agenda
appears, it is the education institution that is victimized. Educators and students have
to pass through a very uncertain future under pressure from those very political parties
that spearhead their agitation with a pledge to make the country prosperous and strong. "You must pose this question to the
government also. There are some genuine demands raised by the students. I read all the
demands of the students. I even gave suggestions to the prime minister on the demands of
the students," said Nepali Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala, replying to a query
on how his student union's call could affect the education system (see SPOTLIGHT June 13). CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar
Nepal, too, loses little time in rallying behind the student agitators. "This is just
a grand rehearsal," said Nepal pointing to the recent vandalism by the students. In the last one year, education
institutions were closed down for 35 days due to the indefinite and other kinds of general
strikes called by the student unions and political parties. Two years ago, students were
forced to appear for the SLC examination under the shadow of a five-day general strike. Whatever the principles behind the
importance of educating the population, Nepal's education system has always been passing
through a very chaotic phase. Worse, it is dominated by the political agenda. The lowest pass-out in the School Leaving
Certificate (SLC) has shown how vulnerable and weak our education system is. It is capable
neither of giving confidence nor of instilling knowledge in people. Interestingly, more
than 68 percent of the examinees failed. Most of those students were from remote parts of
the country, already in the bottom of the development ladder. "How can you expect good results when
the students have to appear for the examination under tremendous psychological pressure -
when they are not sure of whether the examination would take place or not?" asks
Hitbir Singh Kansakar, headmaster of Paropakar Madhyamik Vidyalaya. "The frequent
strikes called by different students unions disturb the teaching-learning process.
Students from poor families who cannot afford money for tuition suffer the most." Although the performance of public schools
has always been far from satisfactory in the SLC examination, the disruption of classes
compel students to enter the hall without having completed the course. This is not for the
first time in the history of the SLC when more than two-thirds of the students have
failed. On average, the pass percentage has hovered below 35 percent in the last one
decade. The public schools are in the bottom of the ladder, with very few students making
it into the first division.
In terms of investment, the state
spends a lot of money to educate a student up to Class 10. According to a study, only one
among 11 students reached Class 10. More than 20 percent of the students were stopped in
the pre-qualification test in Class 10. Although the thrust of modern education
needs to be based on utilitarianism, the education system in Nepal is based on the
idealistic focus of passing the SLC. "The education should be given to student in
such a way that would enable them to use their study. Otherwise, the rural folks, who fail
the examination, may engage in many undesirable activities in society," said Dr.
Suresh Raj Sharma, vice-chancellor of Kathmandu University in his book, "Shikchhya,
Vikas ra Chunauti" (Education, Development and Challenges). An education system
cannot be regarded as useful, if it does not teach useful things to the student." Although the early educationists laid great
stress on the academic components, there were also parallel demands for utilitarian
education. Utility was a relative notion: Jean Jacques Rousseau, one of the prominent
thinkers on education, considered girls' schooling should concentrate on the
practicalities of being a good wife and mother. Napoleon, who had taken many initiatives
to reform education, agreed. In Nepal, the concept was introduced for
short period of time in the early phase of the New Education Plan, with emphasis on some
vocational subjects. With an aim to provide basic knowledge to the secondary level student
in vocational subjects, the government made one skill-based subject - from a pool of
agriculture, carpentry, general mechanical and electricity wiring, among others - a
mandatory part of the curriculum. Expansion of Infrastructure With the 1950-51 revolution and fall of the
Rana regime, Nepalese policy makers realized the need to extend knowledge through the
expansion of education institutions. According to "Five Decades of Development: The
History of US Assistance to Nepal", published by USAID, in the 1950s when Nepal
opened up its door to the international community, there were only 300 college graduates,
only two percent of population was literate and less than one percent of school-age
children were enrolled in school, with fewer than one percent trained teachers in the
whole country. Among the many constraints to development at the time, the most serious was
the shortage of educated men and women, and the lack of indigenous educational
institutions.
Despite the poor results, the
scenario has changed now. In the last five decades, more than 25,000 primary, 6,600 lower
secondary and 4,000 secondary schools have been established in different parts of the
country. There are more than 100,000 teachers. Unfortunately, as in the autocratic Rana
regime, the extension of knowledge does not seem to be tolerated. All political forces
have concentrated their efforts to disturb expansion of knowledge whenever they feel it
suits their purpose. Threat of Student Unions Be they student unions, teachers union or
political parties, they seem to have a fixed agenda to create disturbance. In 1997, the
Rastriya Prajatantra Party-UML coalition government changed the academic calendar, wasting
one year of students, by amending the Education Regulations. After the government minister
stepped out of the way, the Maoist insurgents entered. When educational institutions were
struggling to survive, the government amended the Education Act and created a new system
of elected school management and categorized schools. When the government-Maoist
cease-fire was announced earlier this year, student unions affiliated with the five major
mainstream political parties led the disruption. Now it seems it is the turn of the
Teachers Association. The Parents Association might want to step in, too. If educational institutions that require
peace and stability to fulfill their functions are compelled to pass through such anarchy,
how can one expect better results from the students? The preliminary reports suggest that
the results were largely affected by the law-and-order situation of the districts,
especially in the remote areas of the far-western, mid-western and eastern parts of the
country. Dang district secured only an 18.3 percent pass rate. Eight schools of Myagdi
district recorded nil results. Dhankuta registered just 10 percent, while Ramechap scored
14 percent. The broader picture is equally bleak. Many
rural secondary schools have been closed down and the remaining ones do not have qualified
teachers. In the urban areas, the situation is not much different, as the frequent strikes
called by the student unions and their threats of other action have vitiated the
atmosphere.
Since the formal education system is
yet to reach the entire population of Nepal, a large number of students who spend 10 years
in school are out of the scene as soon as they are declared failed in the examination. Theoretical Basis Based on theoretical and idealistic
curriculum, the school education system that cannot teach ways of self-sustenance to the
youth is still retained without modifications. In the last five decades, on average, 35
percent of the students secured the pass mark and remainder receded in darkness. What do such a large number of students
left in isolation do? Many cross the southern border and buy certificates to continue
their studies. Others languish in frustration and failure. In the last five decades of evolution of
the higher education system, no one has ever considered the motive of extension of
knowledge. The target of high-school students is to secure highest marks and qualify for
higher education, but the education system delivers nothing more than bunch of
unemployable and inefficient students. As political parties exploit the schools
and colleges as a platform to recruit their workers, they don't mind calling indefinite
strikes at their will. They issue edicts against the schools whenever they wish. Although
such activities block the extension of knowledge required to correct the mind, nobody
seems to worry about the sordid state of affairs. The school education system has been in
disarray for the last three years. In the last seven years of the Maoist insurgency, the
severest damage has been inflicted on institutions of higher education. Young school
children and teachers are among the worst victims of the conflict. Investment in the Education Sector In the last decade, the state has increased
by many folds its annual budget for school education. Under the two titles - general and
development - the education sector receives on an average a 13 percent share of spending.
The government allocated Rs. 74.19 million in 2050/51 and Rs. 826 million in 2058/59 in
general budget and Rs.382.21million and 278.39 in development budget in the same period
respectively. The highest numbers of students are enrolled in the primary level (1-5),
which is about 4 million. Some 1 million students are in the lower secondary (6-8). In the
secondary level (9-10) the number comes down to half a million. The students who crossed Class 10 are about
150,000. Among the students, only 37,000 secure pass mark in the School Leaving
Certificate. Apparently, the government has lost huge resources and time. "Till yesterday both our educationists
and we were satisfied with statistics. ' Before 1950,' thus began every official policy
speech by our ministers of education, 'there was only one college, only 22 high schools,
not even a single university. Today we have, in less than two decade's time, 36 colleges,
more than 270 high schools and a university of our own'. Not that it is a lie, The fact is
merely that these figures does tell only partial and distorted truth. Above all, the
parade of figures does tell us that we have so far believed in forms, numbers diplomas
rather than in attainment," writes Professor Kamal Prakash Malla in his book
"The Road to Nowhere", published in 1979. There are data to show that the education
sector has made enormous contributions. Since the large numbers of public schools in the
rural areas are yet to get teachers and the buildings are yet to be renovated, the data
alone are insufficient indicators of the actual situation. Public Vs Private Schools The government has made education free up
to Class 10, but the quality is said to be lower than in private schools. According to the
SLC results, about 80 percent of the students of private schools passed the SLC, whereas
less than 40 percent of those in government schools did. Despite the physical and other types of
pressures, the private schools are contributing to the improvement of the quality and
percentage of the SLC examination. Had the private schools gone out of the picture, the
pass percentage would have been less than 20 percent. "Although we are criticized for
maximizing profits, people hardly mention the positive contributions made by us in
upgrading the quality of education," said Babu Ram Pokharel, principal of V.S.
Niketan College and vice-president of PABSON. In most of the rural areas, private schools
were shut down and the government schools failed to find adequate teachers. As a result,
the students have very limited opportunity now to secure higher education. According to
the Ministry of Education, more than one thousand school buildings need complete
maintenance and most of the teachers have left the remote parts of the schools. The private schools, too, are facing many
problems, as they receive frequent threats of indefinite strikes by the students union
affiliated to the major political parties. When the total investment in the education
sector is draining and political forces are trying to contain it, the future seems to be
heading toward one full of knowledgeable illiterates. Suffering of the Education System The enemies of the schools are not
outsiders. Most of the students who are creating the troubles are those belonging to the
group enjoying subsidized education. The students of Tribhuvan University and other
institutions usually take the lead. The rural folks, who do receive very nominal subsidy,
have to pay the price. "It is unfortunate to see that the
students who received subsidy and government budget to continue the education are taking
the lead in the process of destroying the institutions. " The rural populations who
are ignored by state and society have not done harm," said an analyst. At a time when Nepal is on a process of
extending knowledge through the expansion of school education, the sector has to pass
through various stages of anarchy. Many parents feel it is the luck rather than hardship
that brings in SLC certificate. Students who secured marks with hard work face problems in
pursuing higher education. The idea that a well-schooled society is
prosperous and stable is well accepted in Nepal. Therefore, educating the people is a
desirable goal for the society and there is a general sense among the general parents that
their kids at least need to overcome SLC. More Holidays than Class Days Schools have a record of more closures than
classes. For the students of Class 10, they usually appear in the SLC examination just
taking less than half a year of class. Of the total 365 days in a year, schools are likely
to remain open for less than 100 days. Students remain free after their
examinations for three to four months from March to June. During Dashain and Tihar in
October and winter vacations in December, schools are closed again, and the students have
to appear in the examination in March. This year, the schools were shut down for
more days and infrastructure in the rural areas were virtually destroyed. The insurgency
destroyed the basic education institutions in the rural areas as the mainstream political
parties destroyed it in urban areas. There are some 80 holidays in a year in
schools and more than 40 days of general strikes. Altogether, there are more holidays than
class days. In government schools, the teachers get annual leave of about 30 days. Then
there is casual leave. As a result, there is very nominal time for the teaching-learning
exercise. "Knowledge is like light. Weightless
and intangible, it can easily travel the world enlightening the lives of people
everywhere," writes the World Bank's World Development Report 1998/99. In a country
like Nepal, where the place of knowledge is under a serious threat, it is not easy either. Although the SLC results have generated
some vital debates, they will fade out within months. However, the country's education
institutions would have to face a similar situation - with low results - next year. Rural
folks have nowhere to go except to live as decent and unemployed citizens. Despite many economic difficulties, parents
do send their children to school. Unfortunately, political forces who sell dreams of
turning the country into heaven are backing the students in turning the temples of
learning into living hell. When knowledge is extended The will becomes sincere. When the will is sincere, the mind is correct. When the mind is correct, the self is cultivated When the self is cultivated, the clan is harmonized. When the clan is harmonized, the country is well governed. When the country is well governed, there will be peace throughout the land. Confucius: The Great Learning |
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