Jajarkot: A school principal in remote Sirugar, Karkigaun has passed the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exams from the school where he has been teaching since 37 years.

Kavi Lal Khatri, principal of Janakalyan Proposed Secondary School in Sirugar, Karkigaun, passed this year´s exam in second division.


Khatri, 61, started his career as a primary teacher in 1974 having passed the eighth grade and was made permanent a year later. In lack of qualified permanent teachers, he was appointed the principal of the school after it was proposed to become a secondary school two years ago.

There are more qualified teachers working in the school but they are hired on either school´s private resources or relief quotas.

Khatri secured 452 marks for 56.50 percent but his 14-year-old granddaughter Nabina, who had also appeared for this year´s SLC, failed in compulsory mathematics. “I feel proud that I succeeded when around 2,700 regular students from the district failed,” Khatri said. “I am glad that I could prove there is no age bar for education. Even a worn out brain like mine has worked,” an ebullient Khatri added with self-deprecation.

Just 1,004 regular students, out of the 3,737 who appeared from the district, passed the SLC exams, according to District Education Officer Ghanashyam Aryal.

A record 139 students passed in first division but the overall pass percentage was a dismal 27%. The District Education Office informed that Shankar Bhawan Secondary School Bahunthan and Khulla School in Khalanga failed to get any of their students passed.

Local civil society leader Keshav Jung Shah blamed the poor success rate in the district to the negligence of teachers and poor management of the school management committees. “Everybody is out to help students cheat rather than teach. The success rate came down this year with tighter examination system,” Shah argued.

source: republica