Kathmandu: The District Education Office (DEO), Kathmandu has initiated the process of merging community schools in the Kathmandu Valley running with a minimal number of students.

Some eight primary schools in the Valley are going to be merged under the first phase of the merger campaign launched under the Education Ministry's school sector reform programme, it is learnt.

The schools going to be merged under the reform programme are Jayawali Primary School, Sankhu, the Nawasiksha Bikash Primary School, Lagan, the Shanti Bidhyashram Primary School, Brahmatole, Danchhi, the Kshitiz Janajagriti Primary School, Suntole and the Badri Narsingh Primary School, Devpattan, according to the District Education Officer Babukaji Karki.

Similarly, the Jalapa Devi Primary School, Kirtipur, the Kalika Primary School, Thankot and the Indra Primary School, Syuchataar have been selected for the merger.

"The DEO is thinking to bring other schools in the Valley into the merging process in context of increasing people's complaint that quality of government schools has been gradually deteriorating," said DEO Karki.

He said the regular monitoring of schools is being conducted and the schools found running violating existing norms and values have to face action.

The objective of implementing the school merger process is to increase the education quality, said School Superintendent Tul Bahadur Mahat.

source: The Himalayan Times, 13 September 2011