National The Telegraph - Weekly (Nepal)

NATIONAL

dR Ram Kumar Dahal, T.U

Education plays vital role in developing patriotic disciplined and productive human resources in one hand and strengthening the institutions of democracy and civil society on the other.

The importance of education has been accepted by the present constitution of Nepal which provides equal educational opportunities to all citizens irrespective of region, caste, ethnicity, religion and sex. Under the cultural and educational right, as mentioned in Art. 18 "every community residing within the Kingdom of Nepal has been given the right to protect and develop its, script and culture." Each community has been given the right to protect and develop its languages, script and culture (Art. 18). The citizens are also provided the right to equality (Art. 11), right to freedom (Art. 12), press and publication right (Art. 13, right to information (Art. 16) right to religion (Art. 19), right against exploitation and right to constitutional remedies. Each community has been given the right to establish schools for providing education to the children upto primary level in their mother tongue (Art. 18). The Directive Principles and Policies of the State, as outlined in Art. 25 and 26 of the 1990 Constitution, have at least theoretically encouraged the equal educational opportunities to all the citizens. The post 19990 legal provisions have further encouraged every citizen's right to education. In order to create positive environment for this, the various party governments formed after 1990 have made some structural and institutional changes in this direction. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has been restructured and the Department of Education (DOE) has been setup in the central level during the FY 1999-2000. The policy to provide education in different national languages has been implemented more stringently than before. In accordance with the policy of making primary level education gradually free and compulsory throughout the country compulsory education has been extended to five out of the total 75 administrative districts (HMG, MOF, 1999: 155-163). The present Ninth Plan has put forth the principal policy of quality education as an effective tool for alleviating poverty and developing the economy of the country (HMG, NPC, 1999). The post 19990 constitutional and legal provisions, thus, leave greater room for equal educational opportunities to all citizens. The various party governments have also tried to implement these provisions into practice.

In order to study the politics of education in Nepal, it would be appropriate to have a bird/s eye view on the educational scenario of Nepal in historical perspective. As there were almost no educational institutions in the country during the Rana Period (1856-1950), public access to these institutions was almost non-existent/unheard of. With the introduction of multi party democracy (MPD) In 1951 after the fall of the Rana regime, the establishment of educational institutions was encouraged, however, the institutions of higher education were directly affiliated with Indian Universities and Colleges. But after the establishment of Tribhuvan University (TU) in 1960 under the TU Act, 1959, it started conducting its own examinations since 1960 and also prescribed its own syllabuses according to the need and situation of the country. Many colleges affiliated with TU were also declared open in various parts of the kingdom. Since then, TU has been playing a major role in the development of education in Nepal. During the period of non-party Panchayat polity (1961-1989), the establishment of educational institutions were further encouraged. As the donor community showed keen interest in the strengthening of the educational institutions. Foreign aid was also mobilized in this direction. Under the American aid scheme, the New Education System Plan (NESP) was also introduced in 1971 which, besides other things, stressed on vocational education, and separated the traditional education system from that of the existing one. It aimed at producing a new generation rising up above the tradition of the past. Radical changes were also supported in the plan in the field of education (Malla, 1977: 9; Bhattarai, 1987: 234). As the NESP could not achieve its aims and objectives, it was replaced by a new one in 1976. The Panchayati rulers (1961-89) highly politicized the education system and considered it as a means to retain the non-party polity. The educational progress during the period was, however, satisfactory one and number of educational institutions, including in the rural areas, were also established. Nepal has gained substantial progress in the field of education during the period 1971-1991. The illiteracy rate has increased from 41 in 1971 to 45 % in 1991. But in fact the functional literacy remains just around 20 percent only.

With the dispensation of pluralistic democracy in Nepal in 1990 after the historic mass uprising, education system took a new direction. The various party governments formed after 1990 encouraged the establishment of educational institutions, including the private ones under the privatization scheme, at different levels. During 1990-1999, attempts were made to increase the literacy rate and improve the quality of education in the kingdom. In order to make education accessible for girl children, increase, the number of girls enrollment in schools, encourage educated women enter the field of education and ensure greater number of girls complete primary education, a total of 84,399 girl students, studying at different levels were provided various scholarship in FY 1997/98. In FY 1997/98 through the Basic and Primary Education Project, 86,863 children were made literate. Moreover, through National Non-formal Education Council (NNEC) 4,800 children and 228 thousand adults became literate. In the current fiscal year, the Basic and Primary Education Project aims to provide literacy to 66,500 children. In order to cater technical manpower requirements, feasibility studies for establishing agricultural and forestry universities have been undertaken, and preliminary work for commissioning of an open university has already been initiated. In order to produce basic and medium level skilled man power to cater the needs of various development projects, regular and long term technical training and short term training have been imparted to 691 and 4,776 students respectively by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) in FY 1997/98. Such training are being conducted in 12 technical schools across the country. Moreover, the policy of involving the private sector in providing technical education has also been adopted. To reestablish the credibility and the respectability of teaching as profession the policies of selection of teachers, evaluating and promoting them, has been improved according to the needs. In effect, the literacy campaign has been made into a concerned effort not merely of the government but also of the national and international non-governmental organizations local bodies and the community. Moreover, to impart higher education and to develop human resources, the process of establishing universities in each of the five development regions has already been started. This could ensure standard, organized and competitive education which in turn would help fulfilling the local and national development of reliable human resources (HMG, MOF, 1999: 154-55).

School Education

The present day school education in Nepal is conducted at three levels namely, primary, lower secondary and secondary. In Academic Year (AY) 1997/98, total number of schools of primary and secondary levels in the country was recorded 34,687 whereas the total number of students and teachers were 4,993,537 and 137,973 respectively. Of this, total number of public schools in the country were 25,877 in which the total number of students and teachers were 4,401067 and 110,014 respectively. Similarly, in the private sector, the number of schools were 8810 while the number of their students and teachers were 592,470 and 27,959 respectively. The figure varies greatly in the five developmental regions and Mid-western and Far-western Development Regions are comparatively backward in this respect (HMG, MOF, 1999: 156). Upto April 1997, the number of primary, lower secondary and secondary level schools in the country were recorded 23,284, 6062 and 3322 respectively, whereas in April 1998, the number of primary schools increased by 6.8 percent over the previous year to 24,859, lower secondary level schools by 5.2 percent to 6377 and secondary level schools by 3.9 percent to 3451. As per government's policy of making primary level education accessible by 2000 A.D. to all children of 6 to 10 years of age, the number of school children has increased to 3,724,812 by April 1998. Likewise, the number of students in lower secondary and secondary levels have increased to 886,780 and 381,945 respectively. Total number of teachers involved in the primary lower secondary and secondary schools is expected to have reached 98,975, 21,694 and 17,304 respectively as of April 1998 (HMG, MOF, 1999: 158).

The government owned schools of Nepal currently is facing a number of challenges including the lack of proper educational environment inadequate facilities lack of trained teachers and problems of maintaining quality particularly in their remote areas. The difference in quality between the English medium private boarding schools and the government schools in Nepal have further created need, problems in this direct rich and the poor. Despite the proliferation of several private educational institutions after the dispensation of pluralistic democracy, the Nepalese education is becoming more and costlier and wondering aimlessly. As the poor, deprived, powerless, lower classes and the minorities cannot afford sufficient money for the English medium boarding schools, which are highly commercialized, they are forced to study in government schools which is providing low quality education has further a big challenge to the existing education system of Nepal and the Nepalese state has completely failed to bridge the gap/mediate between the two. The polarization of these institutions and the division of the teachers into Sangh and Sangathan according to the basis of the political ideology has further complicated the problems in this direction.

HMG/N is less concerned about the improvement of educational quality and level of these schools. Moreover, HMG/N's declaration that "all the temporary teachers. The problem in this direction was aggravated when the government declared that the temporary teachers working in the school would be made permanent without any screening or ability test. Most people believe that most of them were the what one intellectual but it, "kinuwa certificatewala" (those holding purchased certificates, and were below quality virtually affecting the quality of education in Nepal.

Higher Secondary Education

The Higher Secondary Education (10+2) in Nepal is also facing a lot of challenges. Most of the 10+2 schools especially in the remote villages are run by inefficient management and taught by underqualified/undereducated or below quality teachers, mostly teaching in the same school with the same school environment and physical facilities. Most of these schools were established with political purposes and particularly in the recommendation of the MP's/ministers of the concerned areas. The politicization of management authorities and teachers virtually have turned them in most sense the recruitment centers of the political parties than learning centers. These schools currently are not getting any encouragement cooperation from the government and the government scheme interested only in increasing their numbers not their quality, physical facilities and environment which has adversely affected their operation.

The post 1990 governments in Nepal have also encouraged. The higher secondary education (HSE) (10+2) in Nepal as per the government's policy of gradually phasing out the certificate (Intermediate) level course from the campus (College) and promote the higher secondary education system, (HSES) as of mid-March 1999 altogether 402 schools were permitted to run higher secondary education classes in affiliation with Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) of which 389 schools are running higher secondary level classes. In FY 1997/98, altogether 30,517 students were enrolled in the (HSES), whereas the corresponding figure has increased by 43 percent to 43,633 in the current FY (HMG. MOF, 1999: 159).

Higher Education:

The Higher Secondary Education The post-1990 governments have encouraged the concept of multi-universities and accordingly, tree universities- TU, Kathmandu University (KU) and Mahendra Sanskrit University (MSU) are operating functioning in Nepal under the sphere of higher education. Besides them, under the decentralization scheme in educational sector, two more universities- Eastern University (Purbanchal Viswobidhyalaya) and Western University (Paschimanchal Vishwobidhyalaya) were also established at Biratnagar and Pokhara respectively but are still at primary stage. In the higher education, private sector has also been encouraged and accordingly, medical, technical and engineering institutions are also operating under the three universities. The total number of campuses affiliated with TU in FY 1998/99 reached 215 (61 university campuses and 154 private campuses) as compared to 201 in FY 1997/98. Number of students enrolled for higher education in the campuses, including the private ones, of these three universities is estimated at 143,336. This figure is higher than the corresponding figure 142,444 of previous year by 0.6 percent (HMG, MOF, 1999: 159-162). TU has been playing important role in the educational development of the country and the production of technical manpower in Nepal. In FY 1997/98 total technical manpower produced by TU was 929 of which 332 were in Engineering, 116 in Agricultural and Animal Sciences 390 in Medicine and 91 in Forestry. The corresponding figures in FY 1996/97 were 255,75,365 and 166 respectively. In FY 1996/97 TU offered Ph.D. to 11 persons (HMG, MOF, 1999: 162-63).

KU, next to TU, had 2085 students (338 in Engineering, 802 in Medicine, 570 in Science and Technology, 96 in Management, 67 in Humanities and Social Sciences (HASC) and inrolled in AY 1997'98. The figure has increased by 26.1 percent and reached 2629 in AY 1998/99. (162 in Education) enrolled in AY 1997/98. The figure has increased by 26.1 percent and reached 2629 in AY 1998/99. The number of students enrolled in the campuses patronized by and affiliated to MSU, (established to extend and provide continuity of Sanskrit language teaching as well as to provide knowledge of traditional religion, moral code, good conduct, knowledge of Sanskrit language and also to provide encouragement to them) was 1100 in FY 1997/98 whereas it increased by 110.1 percent and reached 2311 in FY 1998/99 (HMG, MOF, 1999: 163) 155-163.

Despite the proliferation of several private educational institutions, universities and foundations after the restoration of MPD in 1990, The Nepalese education system is wandering aimlessly (Malla, 1970) Education in Nepal is increasing becoming costlier which has further created inequalities and disparities. As the poor and lower class people cannot afford sufficient money for the English medicate private boarding schools they have to option except to study in government schools which in practice do not provide effective and qualitative education to them. The increasing influence of partisan politics or hyper politicization in the management of education, teaching research and administration since 1990 has furthered encouraged inequalities and disparities in education institutions in Nepal, including their increasing commercialization and placing in the economic model of privatization have further complicated the access of weaker sections in educational institutions.

The universities in Nepal do not get proper encouragement except nominal financial assistance for their flourishment. Due to the lack of proper and adequate financial support, and due to the unpracticed policy. The four research centre within the TU- the CNAS, CEDA, RECAST and CERID, have almost become dysfunctional. The investment on research by TU in less than two percent of the university budget. The appointment of university authorities on the basis of their political ideology, the extreme polarization of teachers and officials (recently T.U. officials had contested their candidacy with the election symbols like 'sun' and tree, thus showing their direct affiliation with the principal political parties) and the formation of progressive teachers, separate association and a lot of factors have further complicated the higher education in Nepal.