When I entered the teaching profession in 2032, the national education system had been implemented across the country. However, its impact was yet to fully reach rural schools. Even though the light of education had spread to the urban markets, few people were aware that education was essential for life in the remote and remote corners of the country.

When I started teaching at the age of 18, neither the attendance of students nor the teachers was encouraging. Be it the physical infrastructure of the school or the distribution of textbooks or the awareness of the common people towards education was weak. Since the non-party Panchayat system was in place, education was very far from the reach of the common people. The wealthy wanted to educate their children to make them ‘grown-up people’, while sending the poor to school was considered ‘spoiling a person’.

I went to teach for the first time at Tamairatmate Primary School in Dhuwakot, Dhading. There, classes were taught in a hut up to grade 3. I was the only teacher. There were no benches to sit on or other physical infrastructure. Students used to bring their own mats and blankets from home. The roof was made of stones, mud, and thatched. It would leak if it rained heavily. If it rained continuously, I had to give leave. Times have changed. People's awareness has increased. There have been more and more people saying that children should be sent to school.

Looking back today, five decades later, it seems that the educational journey that started with that school building, wooden blackboard, chalk and duster has changed a lot. Now it is being transformed into whiteboards, smartboards, digital materials and skill-based curricula. The sound of writing on that wooden blackboard hanging on a rope covered with stones and mud is still fresh in my mind. My hands used to be covered in white and my shorts and pants were covered in chalk dust. But now teachers have become smart, learning is happening in a smart way. Students are becoming smarter.

In Nepal, the traditional education system (old education) was replaced by the National Education System (New Education Plan) in 2028 with American assistance. Starting from Chitwan and Kaski, this plan was implemented across the country in 2032. The new education plan organized Nepal's education in a centralized framework. The school level was determined and classified into primary, lower secondary and secondary. Teacher qualifications, service conditions, posts, inspection system, curriculum development were all operated under a centralized system.

At that time, education was mainly based on the Ghokante system. Exam-centered learning was the priority. The cycle of students memorizing, we telling, continued for a long time. The learning and evaluation system revolved around this. The student who could memorize was called 'excellent'.

The new constitution of 2072 established education as a fundamental right. Basic education was declared free and compulsory. At the same time, the country went to a federal structure. The right to education was transferred to the local level. The role of local governments in school management increased. The national education system provided structure but resources were limited. At that time, schools were unable to provide effective education due to lack of financial resources, managerial weaknesses, inadequate physical conditions, subject-specific teacher positions, and shortage of subject-specific teachers. Education was far from the reach of ordinary citizens. Especially poor farmers, tribals, and Dalits in rural areas were completely deprived of education. Neither the state was able to instill in them the feeling that children should be sent to school, nor were the citizens themselves aware.

The office of the District Education Inspector was established in each district for the development of education. The District Education Inspector began to supervise education. Inspection, monitoring, financial subsidies, and distribution of salary and allowances began. New schools started opening in rural areas, but the physical condition of the schools was still poor. Later, blackboards painted black on plywood and blackboards painted with cement on the walls began to be used. The teachers' educational materials were chalk and duster. Although new schools started opening, secondary schools were not being opened. Due to financial shortages, lack of subject-specific teachers, and difficult government regulations, education up to secondary level was not accessible to all in rural areas.

After the 2036 movement and the 2037 referendum, teachers agitated for their rights and provident funds, gratuities, and pensions like employees. After the movement was successful, the attraction to the teaching profession increased. At that time, the approval of primary schools and secondary schools was given by the District Education Office, while the Regional Education Directorates had a system of approving secondary schools that met the standards to operate secondary schools. Accordingly, secondary schools started opening in rural areas in droves.

Access to education became somewhat easier, so the enrollment rate also started increasing in rural areas. The literacy rate of the country as a whole increased. Even though vocational subjects were made compulsory at the secondary level, the quality could not be improved. Vocational subjects were not based on practical knowledge but only theoretical education. At the primary level, assessment was based on listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

When democracy was restored in 2046, education became easier in rural areas. The number of private schools increased. The number of community schools also increased. Two types of culture developed in education - government (now called community) and private (institutional). Clause 2 of Article 18 of the 2047 Constitution provided that 'each community shall be allowed to operate schools in such a way that children are educated in their mother tongue up to the primary level.' After that, primary schools started opening in villages. However, students were forced to walk for hours to study in Nimavi and Mavi. To study in secondary school, they had to either rent a room in the city or get up early in the morning and go to school.

Higher secondary education began in Nepal only 4 years after the Higher Secondary Education Act, 2046 was passed. It shifted urban education to the villages. After passing the then SLC, the obligation to go to the city to study on campus began to decrease. Plus Two studies began to be offered in secondary schools in villages. In the meantime, the biggest change came in consciousness. The social perspective towards education broadened. There was a wave of opening schools in rural areas. Secondary schools began to reach closer to villages. The number of students increased significantly.

The curriculum began to include subjects such as civic education, human rights, and democratic values. Critical thinking began to be discussed in learning. As a teacher, I myself started hearing more questions in class. Students no longer just listened, but began to ask and argue.

When the Maoist armed rebellion began on February 1, 2052, its impact was felt most in the classroom. The rebels entered the classrooms and began to lure, intimidate, and even threaten to kill students if they did not go with them. After 2046, the lamp of hope began to burn in education, but now teachers, students, and parents began to fear and panic. The psychological fear of whether they would be kidnapped or killed in a bomb blast if they sent their children to school began to grow. Teachers were also not in a position to openly oppose these activities. As a result, the enrollment rate in grade 1 and the rate of students reaching grade 10 dropped significantly.

Teachers were not in a position to teach confidently, as they were targeted by both the army and Maoist fighters. Despite this, regular development and awareness levels in education were increasing. The wooden blackboard had been converted into cement blackboard. The number of female students in the classrooms where there was a majority of male students also started increasing. Those who sat on the chairs were allowed to sit on wooden benches. The compulsion to have a 10th grade pass teacher was going away.

Breaking the stereotype of sending only poor people to school, classes started filling up with poor, Dalit, and tribal students. Textbooks also started becoming more accessible. Teachers themselves started updating and teaching and learning improved. But I also saw that the quality of education declined when some teachers entered politics carrying the party flag.

After the second people's movement of 2062/63, the country moved towards the path of a republic. Political change strengthened the debate on inclusiveness in education. Scholarships, reservations, and special programs were expanded for Dalits, tribals, women, and marginalized communities. The role of parents in the school management committee was increased. The school management committee was strengthened. The idea that the responsibility of education was not only the government's but also the community's was established.

Gradually, motorable roads began to reach the villages, electricity began to be available. The compulsion to study while smoking a cigarette began to disappear. Access to communication doubled and quadrupled during the day. The level of awareness and economic condition of the citizens improved. The feeling that 'so-and-so's child has become like this, but mine has not. I should also teach' was developing. At the same time, boarding schools also started opening in the villages.

At this time, the discussion of skill-based education became strong. Subjects such as environmental education, life skills, health, and gender equality were added to the curriculum. I started using group work, project work, and presentations formally in the classroom for the first time. Students started studying the problems of their villages and making reports. This change was hopeful.

The new constitution of 2072 established education as a fundamental right. Basic education was declared free and compulsory. The country also went into a federal structure. The right to education was transferred to the local level. The role of local governments in school management increased.

This brought both opportunities and challenges. Some local levels showed activity in school reform plans, infrastructure development, and technology integration. In some places, political interference and managerial weaknesses were seen. But the constitution establishing education as a right was a historic achievement.

The biggest change in my teaching life has been technology. It started with a wooden blackboard. Later, plywood, then whiteboards. When computer education began, we ourselves became like students. How many things did we have to learn when we had mobile phones in our hands? We also became students of the new era. Computer labs were established in schools. Projectors came. Internet connection was established. Smartboards were also used in some schools.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, online classes became mandatory. The learning style of students also changed. They started collecting information from YouTube, digital content, and online sources. But the rural-urban gap is still visible. Technology is not equally available everywhere.

Earlier, the curriculum was theoretical. Education was taught to make it easier for students to earn a living by placing vocational subjects in between. Moral education was taught to be moral. But now those subjects have disappeared. Today, there is increased discussion about skills, entrepreneurship, information technology, technical education, and vocational streams.

Computers, agriculture, animal husbandry, and technical subjects have been added at the school level. However, lack of resources in rural areas makes full implementation challenging. The purpose of learning has also changed – not just passing exams, but imparting life skills. Critical thinking, problem-solving skills, collaboration, these words are now heard in the language of schools.

Earlier, it was limited to teacher training. Now, a competitive appointment system has been established through regular training, workshops, and the Teachers Service Commission. Provident fund, pension, and gratuity system have made the profession secure. But political interference and party division have sometimes weakened the teaching community. Today's teachers are expected to be technology-friendly, research-oriented, and engaged in continuous learning. This is a positive change.

We have made great strides in education, but we have still not been able to bring the poor and backward people of the villages to school. For this, the government has not been able to retain students even though it has launched an admission campaign at the beginning of every academic session. The main reason for this is government policy. १ कक्षामा भर्ना भएको विद्यार्थी किन १० कक्षासम्म टिक्न सक्दैन भन्ने पहिचान गर्नै पर्छ । यसको मुख्य कारण गरिबी र चेतनाको कमी नै हो । 

दिवा खाजा कार्यक्रमले प्राथमिक तहमा उल्लेखनीय प्रभाव पारेको मैले आफ्नै विद्यालयमा देखेको छु । पहिले आधा खाली हुने कक्षा भरिन थाले । विपन्न परिवारका बालबालिका नियमित विद्यालय आउन थाले । पोषण र शिक्षाको सम्बन्ध प्रस्ट देखियो । यो कार्यक्रमले समावेशी शिक्षामा ठोस योगदान दिएको छ । 

मैले भोगेका र देखेका उपलब्धि धेरै छन्, चुनौती पनि कम छैनन् । बसाइँसराइ, वैदेशिक रोजगारी, निजी विद्यालयको आकर्षण, ग्रामीण विद्यालयमा विद्यार्थी अभावजस्ता समस्या देखिन्छन् । कतिपय विद्यालयहरू गाभिन बाध्य भएका छन् । गुणस्तर र समान पहुँच सुनिश्चित गर्न अझै धेरै प्रयास आवश्यक छ ।