Most of the 33 students studying in grade 10 at Kalika Secondary School in Rachuli, Tilagufa Municipality-4, Kalikot, have come to Surkhet to study tuition after Tihar. ‘Due to the lack of subject teachers, we are teaching secondary level classes from lower-level teachers. The course was not even half completed,’ said Chakra Bahadur Shahi, the school’s principal, ‘Due to the lack of students, we had to stop teaching after the Tihar holidays. Going to Surkhet and the district headquarters Manma to study tuition has become a fashion here. Now students return to the district only in Chaitra to take the SEE.’ According to him, out of 34 students who took the SEE last year, only one passed. The school has zero permanent secondary school teachers, while two relief and one Janapalik grant teachers are teaching.

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Pembachiring Lama of Mugamkarmarong Rural Municipality-2 in Mugu has sent his two sons Palden and Gyalbo to a monastery in Boudha, Kathmandu for Buddhist education. His daughter Jung is studying in class 9 at a private school in Birendranagar, Surkhet. 'What can we do with a school in the village, the education is neither regular nor of good quality,' he said. 'There are neither subject-specific teachers in the village nor do the teachers who have them come regularly.' Therefore, there was no option but to send his children out, even if it was possible to borrow money.' Teacher Rajesh Khatri said that only 16 students are studying in the village's Janajagruti Basic School.

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Tamang and Lama communities live in Mugamkarmarong, Namkha in Humla, Shephoksundo in Dolpa, Charkatangsong and Dolpobuddha Rural Municipality. Where nearly 80 percent of the children are forced to go to Kathmandu and various places in India to study Buddhist education. 'Education and accommodation in the monastery are completely free, so everyone is leaning towards Buddhist education,' said Subash Chandra Rawal, Acting Chief Administrative Officer of Mugamkarmarong Rural Municipality, 'In basic schools, 50 students are not in any school, and most of the schools are empty after the parents' attraction to Buddhist education.' There are 16 schools in the municipality, including two secondary schools. In which nearly 3,000 students are studying.

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These three aspects reflect the state of education in the entire Karnali province. The results of the students also do not seem satisfactory. When compared with the results of SEE across the country, Karnali is weaker than the national average. Out of 31,773 examinees who participated in SEE last year from Karnali, only 18,042 (56.78 percent) passed. 62 percent of students from across the country passed. According to the Education Development Directorate, out of 730 community and private schools in Karnali, not a single student from 46 schools failed. The Directorate stated that 82.6 percent of students from Dailekh, 66.4 percent from Surkhet, 61.65 from Kalikot, 57.2 percent from Dolpa, 56.7 percent from Mugu, 53.81 percent from Humla, 50.85 from Salyan, 40.31 percent from Jumla and 44.57 percent from Jajarkot failed. Last year, 56.78 percent of students from Karnali passed, while 64 percent of students passed in the 2080 SEE and 64.8 percent before that.

Candidates for the House of Representatives elections to be held next week are campaigning in villages. But they have been repeating the same slogan for years. Janardan Sharma, who has been elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Rukum West continuously since 2064 BS and is in the fifth election field from the Progressive Democratic Party, has been repeating the slogan of 'smart class' in all elections by arranging internet and computer labs in schools. While 35 percent of students in Rukum West failed in SEE last year. Out of 77 secondary schools in the district, 32 schools do not have computer education. 14 secondary schools do not even have electricity.

Mahendra Bahadur Shahi in Kalikot, Shakti Bahadur Basnet and Dhan Bahadur Budha in Jajarkot are in the election field for the fourth time from the Nepali Communist Party. Having won elections three times, they have once again raised the issue of 'completely free education up to the secondary level'. ‘I have taken the agenda of establishing technical schools at all local levels and conducting ICT classes in every school,’ said Shahi, ‘Now it is necessary to provide education that teaches, sustains and sells to students.’ Another candidate, Basnet, said that model schools will be established in all municipalities, technical education will be made accessible to all, and all schools will be made infrastructure-friendly to make teaching and learning effective. Candidates who are running for the first time from Karnali have also given importance to education in their manifestos. Dip Bahadur Shahi, who ran for the Congress in Jumla, said that he plans to make all community schools equipped with physical infrastructure, computer labs and technical facilities, and to turn Karnali Technical School into a university. Purna Bahadur Rokaya, who ran for the UML in Mugu, has mentioned in his manifesto that he will make all campuses and schools operating in the district equipped with physical infrastructure and provide technical and quality education to produce globally competitive human resources.

Community schools facing student shortage

Community schools in Karnali have been facing the problem of student shortage along with physical infrastructure. One hundred students have been enrolled in Balmandir Primary School in Birendranagar. But teacher Shanta Khatri said that more than 40 students are never present. ‘Most of the parents are laborers,’ she said, ‘students go to work with their parents.’ There are only 13 students in Nepal National Basic School in Kharela of Simta Rural Municipality of Surkhet and 25 students in Simalgaira Basic School. Mahesh Dutt Devkota, head of the Education Development and Coordination Unit, said that schools are facing student shortage due to attraction to private schools, poverty, unemployment, etc. According to him, the number of schools with less than 25 students in Surkhet alone is 45. According to the Ministry of Social Development, there are 860 schools in Karnali with less than 30 students enrolled. According to Balbir Sunar, an officer of the Ministry's Education Division, there are about 515,000 students studying in 3,260 community schools across the province. Of these, 1,152 schools have less than 45 students enrolled.

According to the National Census 2078, 18,543 children aged 5 to 12 in Karnali are out of school. About 400,000 residents of Karnali, which has a population of about 1.688 million, are in India for employment. 'Children do not enroll in schools because their parents go to India. Even if they enroll, schools are irregular,' said Sunar, an officer of the division. 'The condition of community schools has also become weak due to the practice of parents in the Himalayan region educating their children in Tibetan education and private schools in urban areas.' Education campaigner Bhupendra Kandel said that despite the fact that education is free up to secondary school, poor parents do not send their children to school because schools charge fees under various pretexts.

Teacher shortage: Rupadevi Secondary School in Kalikot's Narharinath-7 advertises for math teachers for the 19th time on Kartik 30. 'No matter how much they advertise, no applications are received,' said Principal Dan Bahadur Budha, 'The course is never completed without a teacher. Students are forced to take SEE by paying tuition.' Established in 2035, the school has 375 students. The school is running on the basis of 3 permanent posts of primary school teachers. Due to problems in teaching and learning, the school has hired 13 teachers from the rural municipality grant and private sources. Kalika Secondary School in Shubhakalika Rural Municipality-2 Balachaur in Kalikot did not get a teacher for the science subject at the secondary level for the last academic session despite advertising 5 times. After no one applied, the federal grant for the science subject received from the rural municipality for the academic session 2081/82 was frozen.

There are 4,993 vacant teacher posts from grades 1 to 10 in Karnali Province. There are only 11,865 vacant teachers in 2,931 community schools across the province. The Education Division of the Ministry of Social Development has stated that 644 vacancies have not been filled in primary schools, 2,600 in junior secondary schools and 1,749 in secondary schools. ‘There is an acute shortage of English, mathematics and science teachers,’ said Balbir Sunar, an officer of the division. ‘Due to the shortage of teachers, some or the other course is incomplete in all schools. The direct impact of which is the weakening of SEE results every year.’ The division has data showing that 854 temporary, relief and private teachers are working at the secondary school level alone due to the vacant posts.

Sameer Shahi, a class 10 student at Shivalaya Secondary School in Tilagufa Municipality, Kalikot, said that he had come to Surkhet in the first week of Mangsir to study tuition. ‘When I studied in the village, I did not see any plans to complete the course, and then my studies were stopped due to Dashain and winter vacations,’ he said. ‘Now, since I saw that I would not be able to prepare for SEE while living in the village, I came here and started studying.’ Along with him, Kamal Dhakal, a class 10 student, is also studying tuition at an institute. Dhakal said that about a dozen students from the school are studying tuition with him.

Students from the Himalayan districts including Kalikot, Mugu, Jumla are currently filling up the tuition centers in the provincial capital, Birendranagar. The tuition center is charging Rs 3,500 per subject per student. Before the Dashain vacation, 30 students used to come to school regularly, but now most of the students have gone out to study tuition, said Tilak Prasad Neupane, Principal of Mahadev Secondary School in Kalikot. ‘If extra classes could be arranged in the village for students appearing for SEE, the parents’ expenses would have been saved. The academic quality of the students would also have increased,’ he said, ‘In this, the efforts of the school alone cannot stop the students.’ According to him, students go elsewhere to study tuition due to the lack of subject teachers at the secondary level. According to the Kalikot Education Unit, 59 out of 336 schools do not have a single post.

Shankar Prasad Upadhyay, Mayor of Tilagufa Municipality, said that the lack of subject teachers, cold weather, learning by doing and the mentality of students who have to study outside have not been able to stop the students from studying in the village. ‘Students study tuition in Surkhet for at least 4 months. "A student spends at least 10 to 12 thousand in a month," said Upadhyay, "Most of the parents here are poor, due to which they are forced to send their children to Surkhet even after seeking loans." He informed that since the tendency of SEE students to go abroad has been there for years, an action plan has been made to stop it. After students started going abroad for tuition, some municipalities in Karnali have started conducting extra classes. Bam Bahadur Shah, Acting Chief Administrative Officer of Hima Rural Municipality in Jumla, said that coaching classes were conducted by utilizing the winter vacation. According to him, the municipality has borne the teachers' salaries.

According to a study conducted by the Directorate of Education Development in 110 schools last year, it had concluded that barely 60 percent of the courses were completed by the end of the academic session. Devkala Acharya, Principal of Nigasaini Secondary School Dashala in Kalikot, said that it is difficult to complete the course in the Himalayan district due to winter and summer holidays, Dashain-Tihar, farming season, and students going out to pick herbs with their parents. Her school is currently conducting extra classes in English, science and mathematics from 5 am to 8 am for students appearing for SEE. Acting Director of Education Deepa Hamal said that the quality of education in Karnali has deteriorated due to lack of teachers and physical infrastructure, failure to deliver textbooks on time, and students and teachers not attending classes regularly.

Educational indicators of Karnali Province

Literacy 76.1 percent

Child Development Total Enrollment Rate 77.80

Primary Level (1–8) Net Enrollment Rate 97.09

Secondary Level (9–12) Net Enrollment Rate 42

Student Retention Rate (Class 1) 97.3

Average Learning Achievement in School Education 46 percent

Source: Ministry of Social Development Karnali Province

Dropping out of class, taking exams after studying only half a course

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Social Development of the provincial government, only 80 out of every 100 students enrolled in class 1 reach class 5. The ministry's statistics show that at each level, 20 percent of students drop out of class. ‘There is a big problem of fewer students enrolling in community schools, even those who are enrolled do not go to school daily and dropping out while studying,’ said Dholakraj Dhakal, secretary of the ministry. ‘Dropouts are increasing due to illiteracy of parents, schools being far away due to geographical remoteness, lack of subject-specific teachers, admissions only due to greed for scholarships and policy ambiguity in community education.’ He said that the dropout rate is increasing as some students’ parents go to India to work as laborers, and the children also go with them.

According to the Ministry of Education’s Flash Report-2078, 499,315 students have been enrolled in Karnali at the basic level and 137,916 students at the secondary level. In Karnali, 59 percent of children go to grades 1 to 5 without skipping classes. Only 49 percent reach grade 8.

Heavy snowfall occurs in the high mountainous settlements of Karnali from Kartik to Falgun. Due to which, residents of 7 local levels of Humla, Dolpa and Mugu migrate seasonally in the first week of Kartik. ‘It is impossible to live in the village due to snow. Even now, settlements such as Limi, Lapcha, Hilsa are empty,’ said Paljor Tamang, ward chairman of Namkha-6, ‘Since there is no one in the village, the school will also be closed.’ Therefore, children are deprived of education for about 5 months from Kartik to Falgun.’ According to him, schools in Namkha are closed for about a month during the rainy season, while even when parents go to pick herbs, education is suspended for at least a month. ‘The main occupation of the residents here is herbs, and when parents go to pick herbs, children also go with them,’ he said. ‘Children’s education is also interrupted for about a month due to festivals, farming season and other reasons.’ Senior Education Officer of Namkha Rural Municipality Dambar Bahadur Kharal said that children are forced to take exams without completing their courses due to the non-opening of regular schools. ‘No subject is completed at any level,’ he said. ‘The poor level of education has affected the results.’ A study conducted by the municipality in 10 schools last year found that 50 to 70 percent of all subjects were completed in all classes.

Child marriage, child labor and disability are leading to missed education

Karnali has a population of 1,688,412. Out of which, 677,048 are children. Of these, 331,556 are girls. According to the Karnali State Planning Commission, nearly 40 percent of them get married before completing their school education. 'Children get into family trouble at a young age,' said Ashoknath Yogi, a member of the commission. 'Child marriage leads to drop-outs and a decrease in the SEE passing rate.' According to the commission's data, 34,184 children in Karnali need special and alternative protection for various reasons. According to the National Child Welfare Council, 41,300 children were married off as children in Karnali last year.

According to the census data, nearly 137,000 children in Karnali are forced to do child labor. Which is almost 20 percent of the child population. Rights activist Damodar Gautam said that children are forced to do child labor due to lack of parental protection, poor economic conditions, family disharmony, etc. There are 36 resource schools in operation in Karnali for the education of children with disabilities. But according to the ministry's data, 15,000 children with disabilities are out of school. According to a survey conducted by the Disability Rehabilitation Center a few years ago, there are more than 32,000 children with disabilities across Karnali. Keshav Raj Devkota, chairman of the Disability Rehabilitation Center Kalikot, said that children with disabilities do not have easy access to school education due to difficult geography.

Increasing investment, declining quality

The Karnali provincial government has been allocating 2.5 percent to 4.9 percent of the budget for the education sector since 2075/76. So far, out of the 11.28 billion rupees allocated for the education sector, 8.98 billion rupees have been spent, according to the provincial accounts controller's office. The Ministry of Social Development has stated that 1.84 billion rupees have been allocated in the current fiscal year. According to the ministry, about 16 percent of the budget for the education sector has been spent so far. Investments are increasing every year in the areas of educational infrastructure construction, scholarships, and teacher capacity development.