Chitwan's Public Schools Face Academic Crisis as Results Plummet

Chitwan. The results of community schools in Chitwan, despite government investment, have been found to be dismal. The recently published Class 8 results show a lack of progress.

According to Subash Acharya, Chief of the Education Division at Bharatpur Metropolitan City, the pass percentage for community schools in Class 8 is only 39.01 percent, while private schools achieved 70.32 percent. The overall pass percentage stands at 56.81 percent.

Compared to the previous year, the overall pass rate has dropped by six percent, with community schools seeing a three percent decline. This year, 7,589 students took the Class 8 examination. The metropolitan city has 74 community schools and 84 private schools.

He noted that the results for Basic School Chaukhi in Bharatpur-29 and Basic School Lagauta in Bharatpur-17 were zero. While some schools within the metropolis performed well, Acharya admitted that the educational quality in most community schools is poor. He stated, "The results of government schools are embarrassing." Eight community schools had a pass rate of only 15 percent. Fifteen schools had a pass rate between 15 and 20 percent, while 17 schools had between 20 and 30 percent. Only 56 schools achieved the average pass rate of 39.01 percent.

There are nine schools with a pass rate of over 50 percent. He remarked, "It appears that intervention is needed directly in the classrooms to improve school quality." He added that simply increasing staff numbers has not improved quality. Beyond the federal budget, Bharatpur Metropolitan City spends an annual sum of Rs 100 million 500 thousand on education.

Acharya mentions that the metropolis has been unable to spend effectively on teacher capacity development. The city spends Rs 25 million annually for young volunteer teachers and an additional Rs 25 million for early childhood facilitators, accountants, and office assistants. Furthermore, it provides an additional Rs 5 per student for midday meals.

Stating that the metropolitan city's investment in overall quality development has been insufficient, he emphasized the need for increased investment and an interventionist role to improve education. Prof. Dr. Surya Kanta Ghimire, founding registrar of the Agriculture and Forestry University, who has extensive experience in the education sector, says it is unacceptable that government schools are failing to deliver results despite having adequate manpower and improved infrastructure. He suggested that a micro-level study should be conducted to determine how to motivate teachers, and that schools should provide training on teaching techniques to improve education.

Ramakant Sapkota, who has been working in the education sector, says it is time to adopt new styles in education. He emphasized that teachers should integrate technology into their teaching and that thought should be given to how to increase student interest in learning. He suggests that the metropolitan city should consider changing old methods and adopting new ways of teaching.

Acting Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Chitrasen Adhikari, acknowledges the need to increase educational quality from the school level. Stating that the current results are very low compared to the state's investment in the education sector, he said that schools, teachers, students, and parents must work together to improve education. He mentioned that the metropolitan city will hold necessary discussions and work towards improvements based on these results.