As private schools mushroom in the Capital, public faith in government schools is fast fading. Despite government investment of millions of rupees, public schools have not been able to win over students and parents, most of whom cite the quality of education as a premier reason for choosing private institutions.

The District Education Office (DEO), Kathmandu, recently ordered closure of four government schools as they had no students. In the past two years, 33 schools in the three Valley districts—10 in Kathmandu, 14 in Bhaktapur and nine in Lalitpur—have shut down altogether after the student-teacher ratio dropped below 1:1. A majority of the 642 public schools in the Valley have fewer students than the standard of 45 students per teachers set by the Ministry of Education for the hilly region. Of them, 20 percent, which is 160 schools , have fewer than 20 students per teacher.

“Student enrollment in primary schools has decreased remarkably in the last five years and if the trend continues, many schools will have to be closed in the next five years,” said Kathmandu’s District Education Officer (DEO) Baikuntha Aryal. A majority of the schools shut are primary ones.

According to Bhaktapur DEO Deepak Kafle, plans are afoot to merge schools . Teachers displaced by the schools ’ closure are currently being accommodated in other public schools . However, the DEOs are not clear about a lasting solution.

“Locals have requested us not to close the schools permanently, promising to collect students for the next academic session,” said Kafle.

It has been two years the DEOs have also not granted licences to new private and public schools . The move was prompted by the decline in the student enrollment rate.

Education experts blame over-politicisation and “irresponsible teachers” for the deterioration of the quality of education in public schools .

“The situation is never going to improve unless teachers perform their duties responsibly,” said educationist Mana Prasad Wagle.

source: The Himalayan Times,11 Oct 2012