Current Status and Challenges of Public Education in Nepal

According to the Flash Report 2080 by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, Nepal has a total of 35,876 schools. Out of these, 27,990 (78%) are community schools, and 7,886 (22%) are private schools. Compared to 2079, the number of community schools has decreased by 668, while private schools have increased by 513. Overall, there are 156 fewer schools in 2080 compared to 2079.

The report also states that 7.14 million students are enrolled in both community and private schools, which is a decrease of 53,523 students from 2079. This trend shows that the number of students in community schools is steadily declining, while enrollment in private schools is rising. This shift reflects a decreasing interest in community schools among parents and an increasing preference for private schools.

Reasons Behind Declining Interest in Community Schools

An analysis of the situation points to shortcomings from multiple stakeholders, including teachers, regulatory bodies, parents, and students. The following sections explore these challenges:

1. Teachers

Teachers play a central role in delivering quality education. With proper commitment, even underperforming schools and students can achieve excellence. However, many teachers view their profession as just a job rather than a service. Some treat teaching as a secondary occupation, engaging in other activities such as business, real estate, journalism, and even creative fields like songwriting or singing.

Ironically, these teachers advocate for community schools while sending their own children to private institutions. They often arrive late at their assigned schools but are punctual when teaching part-time at private schools or colleges. Such attitudes significantly impact the quality of education. Unless teachers adopt a more professional and dedicated mindset, expecting quality education is unrealistic.

2. Regulatory Bodies

Regulatory bodies are responsible for monitoring schools, supporting teachers, and ensuring the overall quality of education. Their involvement can lead to significant improvements, but these institutions often focus more on budget allocation than on the effectiveness of programs.

Regulatory authorities are frequently engaged in external meetings or events, neglecting their primary responsibilities. Instead of actively monitoring schools or evaluating programs, they emphasize planning new initiatives or construction projects over maintaining existing facilities. Such practices hinder the development of community schools, and self-improvement within regulatory bodies is urgently needed.

3. Parents

Parents are crucial for improving public education. Schools with active, responsible parents often perform better. For example, schools in the northern region of Madhes Province or those in diverse communities have shown positive outcomes due to engaged parents.

However, many parents of children attending community schools are uneducated or financially disadvantaged. They often do not monitor teachers’ attendance, assess their children's learning, or provide necessary materials for school. These parents only visit schools during events like scholarship distribution or school management meetings. To improve public education, parental awareness and involvement must increase.

4. Students

Students are like clay that can be molded into any shape with proper guidance. Teachers and parents play a crucial role in shaping students’ futures. However, many students lack discipline and accountability due to the lack of attention from teachers and parents. This has led to a culture where students attend school irregularly, disregard uniforms, and bring mobile phones to class without consequences.

Such practices hinder academic achievement. For instance, only 47.86% of students passed the SEE exams in 2081, and 52.91% passed Grade 12 exams, highlighting the declining learning outcomes in community schools.

Conclusion

Teachers, regulatory bodies, parents, and students are the four main pillars of public education. To ensure quality education and improve the status of community schools, all these stakeholders must actively contribute. Among them, the roles of teachers and parents are particularly vital, as they directly influence the performance of students and the system as a whole.

If teachers fail to take their profession seriously and parents neglect their children’s future, public education in Nepal risks complete collapse within the next few decades. Immediate action is needed to reverse this trend and revitalize the community school system.