National 6 (Spotlight Weekly)

Victim Of Anarchy

The recent government decision to put the institutions teaching GCE A-levels under their scanner is likely to end the rampant anarchy among the institutions

By THAKUR AMGAI

After years of running virtually with nobody to monitor them, the institutions teaching the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced and Ordinary levels now have to come under the government's monitoring as the Ministry of Education has decided to let the institutions under foreign examination board operate only after taking its permission. Prior to this decision institutes could start A-level classes with a little formality of filling up a registration form at the British Council. Because of this easy system of registration and huge bucks involved A-level institutions - without quality education - had mushroomed in the city rendering a bad impression of A-level institutions.

The government has recently decided to allow eight institutions to run the A-level classes following their set of regulations. According to sources there are 38 other schools, which have applied for the permission to run the A-level classes.

Higher secondary students : Oblivious of alternative opportunities

If a proper follow up is done, the decision is likely to improve the quality of A-level education in Nepal. So far, the GCE A-levels have not been able to attract students from middle class families. While the exorbitantly high fees required for the examination, books and as tuition fees could be one reason, the lack of knowledge about the degree and the advantages it has over the local degrees also played a major role. A source at one of the most reputed A-level institutions (he did not want it to be named) of the capital told SPOTLIGHT that they did not find a single student from middle class families even when they were offered a full waiver of the fees. "We sought for result-oriented and capable students coming from middle class family back ground to improve our overall results," said the source. "But we did not find someone to suit our choice."

The cost of studies is high above what average Nepali students can afford. The examination fees alone take almost Rs. 50,000 including the university fees and local fees. The tuition and admission fees are charged by the institutions at their own discretion, but it is high above what their counterparts - the Schools under the Higher Secondary Examination Board (HSEB) - charge.

Educationists, teachers and parents highly esteem the curriculum and the course contents of the A-levels. However, due to various reasons, the average results of A-levels are far below, excepting a few institutions. Analysts who have observed the A-level education in Nepal closely, blame the lack of result oriented students for the poor results. "At present the students who are studying A-levels usually come from a well-off family background who do not care much about the results," the source said. "When the students are less concerned about the quality of education they are getting, the institutions have the liberty to hire less qualified teachers giving them less pay. Even the teachers do not put in as much effort when the students are less concerned," said a teacher teaching A-levels since last one decade.

The lack of concern is also the reason for the extensive commercialization of the institutions teaching A-levels. "We have registered our institution at the Ministry of Industries and they should have informed it to the Ministry of Education," said Dr. Prakriti Rana of Kathmandu Academy, one of the pioneers of A-level education in Nepal.

Teachers teaching at A-level institutions, say, a different approach of study and taking exams is one of the reasons for unsatisfactory results. "The mode of study and taking exams is entirely different in A-levels compared to the system that we follow here. So, the students who come studying with us encounter a lot of difficulties in adjusting themselves with the new style," said an A-level teacher.

"It (A-level) is a globally recognized degree with good reputation and its exams and result system are secure and reliable," said the examination officer at the British Council, highlighting the advantages of the A-level institutions over other degrees. Students, parents and teachers all agree. The institutions make it the main point to advertise themselves. However, even as the Ministry of Education has brought out a set of regulations and made the registration of the institutions at ministry mandatory before giving classes, the institutions lack constant monitoring.

The examination officer at the British Council, who did not want to be named, is of the opinion that the students who are going to the institutions for study should make sure that they get a proper service for the money they pay. "Students who study A-levels in Nepal are normally about 18 years of age. This is the age when we give them the voting right. If we are giving them the right to decide the fate of the country, can't they decide on their own future," he said.