Nepal’s education crisis: A call for reform and equity

Ghyang Phedi Secondary School of Nuwakot saw 16 of the 17 students fail in the recent Secondary Education Examination (SEE), a staggering 95 percent failure rate that underscores significant deficiencies in the school’s educational system. A closer observation reveals multiple contributing factors, including prevalent child marriage, with some students already having children, which disrupts their focus and continuity in academics. Additionally, underqualified teachers and an insufficient number of staff have resulted in a substandard quality of education compared to private schools.

Geographical challenges exacerbate these issues, with many students forced to walk for hours to attend school, creating significant physical and time burdens. Unlike students in private schools who often attend extra tuition classes, students from Ghyang Phedi Secondary School are typically engaged in household chores after school, further detracting from their academic pursuits.

This problem is not isolated to Ghyang Phedi Secondary School but is indicative of a widespread issue across Nepal. An alarming 52.13 percent of SEE students nationwide have been categorized as non-graded, meaning that more students failed than passed—a record high in the last five years. This rise in the failure rate coincides with a policy change in Nepal's grading system. Since 2016, students needed a 1.6 GPA to progress to grade XI, regardless of individual subject scores. However, starting this year, students must achieve at least 35 percent in each subject, both in theory and internal assessments, to advance. Failure to meet these criteria necessitates retaking the subject, even if the overall GPA exceeds 1.6. This change, intended to reform the education system and improve the quality of human resources, has made it more difficult for students to pass. However, expecting meaningful results without adequate investment in resources is unrealistic.

Class differences, economic disparities, geographical challenges, and societal structures remain substantial barriers to quality education in Nepal. For instance, Bagmati Province had a failure rate of 33.88 percent, while Karnali Province saw a failure rate of 50.02 percent. In Lumbini Province, 61.2 percent of students failed, and Sudurpaschim Province had the highest failure rate at 68.12 percent. The stark contrast between private and government schools has been evident across Nepal for decades. Private schools consistently produce better results due to better staffing, funding, infrastructure, and access to course materials. Students from more affluent backgrounds attend private schools, while others are compelled to attend under-resourced government schools. Bagmati Province, which has the highest number of private schools, also has the lowest failure rate, highlighting the role of economic and class disparity in the quality of education.

Geographical challenges further compound these issues. Bagmati Province, with the best transportation infrastructure, has the highest number of students appearing for the SEE exam. In contrast, students in other provinces must walk for hours to attend school, depriving them of easy access to education. Only 53,446 students appeared for the SEE exam from Sudurpaschim Province, compared to 99,872 students from Bagmati Province.

Educationist Biddhyanath Koirala says that the results are affected by teachers’ inability to teach according to the interests and needs of students. He also noted that students and their guardians do not seem serious about education. However, these results are not merely due to a lack of motivation among students but reflect deeper problems embedded in the education system. The inability of government schools to provide quality education has been a major contributing factor.

Vice-principal of Ghyang Phedi Secondary School Prem Syangtan echoed these sentiments, stating that the problem is not limited to their school but is a nationwide issue affecting government schools. Students are weak at a basic level due to the lack of qualified teachers. Syangtan says that in private schools, underperforming teachers are removed, whereas this cannot happen in government schools. Private schools are driven by the goal of achieving high scores, while government schools struggle to complete the syllabus. Syangtan is dissatisfied with the current education system and calls for an urgent need to reform Nepal’s education system. 

It is the government’s duty to ensure the quality education in all government schools by hiring qualified teachers, conducting parent orientation programs, improving infrastructure, and providing academic support to students after school hours.