Nepal's Education System Faces 'Learning Crisis' Amidst Youth Emigration and Unemployment

In 1983, a prestigious report titled 'A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform' was published in America. Its core message was simple—our (America's) schools are deteriorating badly, thus endangering America's future. This report was not limited to itself; it continues to guide America's education policy to this day.

Nearly 45 years after that report, many educationists worldwide have profited greatly in the name of 'Learning Crisis'. In simple terms, learning crisis refers to students not learning as much as they should at a given grade level, or learning much less.

The question is not how this crisis came about, but where it originated. The answer lies in the learning within schools and universities.

Instead of teaching students how to ask questions and connect with society, schools taught them to cram for exams and pass. Learning would only be effective if the curriculum was connected to the student's life and environment. Teachers would have received opportunities and training to teach in a way that sparks curiosity, and assessment would focus on the depth of learning rather than exam scores.

However, for the rich and the poor, for the country, society, schools, families, and individuals, this 'crisis' has become an even bigger crisis. In Nepal too, there is much debate about this.

To borrow the words of former Education Minister Shumsher Sherpa, in the last two decades, the measure of success in our public education has shifted from 'My son/daughter can speak English' to 'My son/daughter can speak fluent English.'

In higher education, there is an eternal saying: 'I have the degree, but I don't know how to speak properly, let alone work.' This is one of the main reasons why our youth are migrating abroad.

• What do the statistics say?

Looking at the statistics, the situation appears even more serious. According to data from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Nepal Rastra Bank, in the seven years from fiscal year 2075/076 to mid-2080/081 alone, 543,833 Nepali students took NOCs for foreign study.

Looking deeper into this data, a paradox becomes clear. The government has allocated 211 billion rupees to the education sector in fiscal year 2082/083. This is the largest single allocation in the country's total budget. However, despite such a large amount being spent, youth are losing faith in the country's education. There is no shortage of money, but a lack of policy and willpower.

What is even more painful is that the unemployment rate among those with a postgraduate degree in Nepal is three times higher than among those without a degree. According to a study by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the unemployment rate among university graduates is 26.1 percent, while it is only 9 percent among those with no education.

According to the National Statistics Office's 2026 report, the overall youth unemployment rate is 12.7 percent, and the active participation rate in the labor market is only 38.5 percent. The meaning of this is simple—educated youth are unemployed, and uneducated people are working. This is a dire message that our education does not create employment; rather, it is making youth unfit for the labor market.

• Where is the government policy failing?

Most of the youth who leave Nepal for foreign study or employment are those whose education in the place they studied or grew up did not equip them to stand in the labor market. Currently, 672,489 students are enrolled in Tribhuvan University, with 74.31 percent of them in Tribhuvan University alone. Despite such a large institution, the curriculum is decades old.

Students pursuing postgraduate degrees write theses, but these theses get lost in the dust of the library; they neither change policy nor reach society. What did the university provide? A certificate. But there is a vast gap between that certificate and the job market, and neither the university nor the policymakers have made an effort to bridge that gap.

A large portion of the education budget goes towards teachers' salaries and administrative expenses, not quality improvement. Political appointees without practical experience are placed at the policy-making level. There is no meaningful participation from students, parents, or employers in curriculum development. Although the government has introduced the 'Learn while you Earn' policy, it has not been able to create a supportive environment for it. There is policy, but no implementation. This is the oldest and most tiring problem in our education sector.

• Gen Z and the Birth of a Movement

Meanwhile, movements led by 'Gen-Z' have occurred in many countries, including Nepal. In India, the 'Kangkroch Janata Party' is currently creating a new wave. That generation, which was called the generation that enjoyed reels and snaps behind digital screens, or that segment which was ignored, was internally in its own world.

For that generation, education became very different from the lessons taught by a teacher in a classroom. With internet availability, they learned whatever they wanted, however they wanted, and as much as they wanted.

This generation did not feel the need to understand the roots of socialism, nor did they need to understand people's multi-party democracy. This generation understood politics only as much as it needed to. It understood it in a way that was easy for them. And it analyzed it in a way that its generation's eyes understood the meaning of development. The movement born in the city, and the generation that claims this movement as 'ours', is a generation outside the established system and one that has gained knowledge through self-study. Therefore, it sought change accordingly. This generation had, and still has, the confidence that the method of choosing the country's leadership could be different from the current 'election'. Consequently, the election on Discord chose the country's leadership.

• The Relationship Between Education and Movement

Amidst all this, we should not hesitate to say that our education is also one of the reasons for this movement. How? Our education did not teach students to question the system, but the internet did. From there, the seed of the movement sprouted. The reaction to the education that distributed certificates without informing citizens of their rights came to the streets.

Educated but unemployed, this frustration itself took the form of political consciousness. The system that confined the future of youth within the four corners of textbooks made mistakes, and the generation came to the streets to demand accountability for those mistakes.

So, what is the solution? The solution lies in Professor Robinson's famous saying—education must give equal importance to creativity and literature. Creativity should contain answers to questions like what to study, how to study, why to study, and for what preparation to study, while literature should involve studying the country, abroad, society, circumstances, and understanding them in depth.

In the context of Nepal, education that enables a student to get an 'A' in SEE and education that enables a student to identify a problem in their village and find a solution are not the same thing. Our education is too preoccupied with the former and too far from the latter.

The history taught in class is the chronology of kings, not the story of societal struggle and transformation. Science is memorizing formulas, not sparking curiosity. Social studies does not introduce society; it does not explain the meaning of being a citizen. How can a youth emerging from such an education connect themselves with the country?

• Two Opposites, Yet Not Opposites

The debate in education worldwide today is about how the use of AI has diminished students' creativity and how to keep them creative. When this debate happens in Nepal, two types of voices are heard. One group says—we must be prepared for all these. The other group says—there are no benches to sit on in school, no toilets to use, what AI! Neither is wrong.

But considering these two ideas as opposites is our biggest mistake. Benches and toilets are physical necessities. Creativity, critical thinking, and the use of AI are preparations. Quality education is impossible without building physical infrastructure. But building physical infrastructure alone is not enough; history will not forgive those who only solve today's problems without preparing a generation that can think, create, and bring change.

Both must move forward together, and the primary responsibility for this lies with the government. But the government alone cannot do everything. Those who develop the curriculum, institutions that train teachers, universities, parents—no one can shy away from this question. Because when a generation is not connected through education, it is not just the country's loss, but also the loss of every family.

If our education fails to connect the upcoming 'Gen Alpha' and 'Gen Beta' with society, the form of the movement will change, but another movement is certain. Because the generation that studied, grew up, but did not connect with society, its dissatisfaction will come out sooner or later.

(The author is currently pursuing a doctorate in Education Policy and Leadership at Florida State University, USA.)