Though SLC is considered the benchmark of school-level education in Nepal, most students dread the examination and many fail to make it through. As per the results published by the Office of the Controller of Examinations (OCE), only 41.57% of the total candidates made it through SLC this year. The pass percentage saw a drop of five percent from the 46.16% last year.[break]
Nepal’s education experts also argue that SLC examinations – called Iron Gate by students – alone cannot judge a student’s capabilities, and that the entire system needs a restructuring.
“We had prepared a report in 2005 and one of our recommendations was that SLC should be managed by regional authorities and Grade 12 should be taken as the new SLC,” says Kedar Bhakta Mathema, former Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University (TU).
He says that Grade 12 is still a part of high school and the curriculum should be formed in such a way that it produces more creative students rather than just those with the tag of Distinction-level certificates.
Mathema further mentions that it is necessary to continue till Grade 12 as part of school curriculum since it is still considered a fraction of basic education. It is only after getting the general education that the students should be allowed to choose a different stream or faculty.
“Choosing a different stream from Grade 11 is too early since students still have to learn so much. If they have a good foundation of basic education, only then they can wisely choose a particular faculty at the university level and onwards,” he says.
BIJAY GAJMER
There are also debates of disparity in education between private and public schools as failure percentage in SLC is higher in government than private schools.
“The facts of SLC failure being higher in government school students aren’t due to poor quality of teachers or under-qualified teachers. Over 90% of teachers in government schools are trained. It’s mainly due to a different approach in teaching and improper training,” says Mathema.
He explains that there is a need to monitor how much attention a teacher is giving to his class and students. “Are they checking their regular home works and progress? Are poor and weak students being given more attention? Are there regular assessments of the students? These are the questions that need to be answered,” he says.
While some experts blame the problems on the lack of proper monitoring, experts like Bidya Nath Koirala, professor of education and Coordinator of M Phil in Education at Tribhuvan University, believe the problem also stems from limited resources as well as due to the involvement of government schoolteachers in various political party unions.
The downside of a developing country, however, is the lack of opportunities of basic education for all students.
“Education has become very expensive. In developed countries, education is handled by the state. But ours is mostly looked after by the private sector. So there isn’t much focus on public education. And too much privatization of education isn’t a good thing, either,” adds Mathema.
He mentions that most Plus Two (+2) colleges are private and there are very few high schools in the villages.
“But when we talk about public education, even the students who study in government schools should have access to higher education because most of the private Plus Two colleges are centered just in cities,” he says.
Besides that, he also mentions that the rote learning system is not helping the country to produce more creative students.
“The whole system needs a reformation. Even till the Masters level, there’s a trend of mugging up of answers. We need to promote opinion-based answers in all the schools of the country. Teachers need to be more professionally trained in order to upgrade the schools of the villages,” he adds.
But experts like Koirala believe that unless there is reformation of the Education Act, it is hard to bring proper changes. He also believes that there should be a separate management board for colleges.
“What we need is a community college which can produce students according to the needs of the community by providing them with the necessary skills,” he says.
“We also need to regulate private schools, and besides that, we need a school and college mapping project that determines which place is in dire need of a new school or college,” adds Koirala who is also a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Besides that, he also mentions the need of a technical and vocational act and a single act that looks after the whole system.
“We also need to monitor how students are being taught in classrooms because the overall SLC pass percentage in government schools is just 28 % as compared to private schools,” says Koirala.
According to education expert Mana Prasad Wagle, a research done in 2006 by the Department of Education shows that factors such as pedagogical teaching process, lack of teachers’ commitment, lack of curriculum relevancy, and improper teaching methods have contributed to the rising failures in SLC examinations. “It’s the same reasons that cause SLC failures every year,” he says.
In 2004, Nepal Government launched an Education for All (EFA) initiative which was expected to bring new educational reforms. The EFA then led to a six-year School Sector Reform Programme (SSRP) which is still working to improve early childhood development along with providing vocational and technical education, teacher training programs with the introduction of new monitoring mechanisms.
One of the SSRP’s agenda was also to make 12th Standard (Grade 12/Plus Two/+2) as the SLC threshold so that students are better prepared when they leave their school-level education and begin their university-level education.
Wagle mentions that the SSRP, which was formed in 2009, has not been able to progress due to the delay in the amendment of the Education Act.
“Since Nepal is the only country that considers the Tenth Standard as SLC, we really need to change it as per international standards. There are even cases of some Nepali certificates being rejected abroad. So, to make our education more valid, we need to follow a worldwide system,” he says.
As per Mahashram Sharma, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of MOE, the Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) supervises the system of Plus Two.
“So our plan is to form a National Examination Board so that Class Ten examinations are checked at the regional level, and Grade Twelve (+2) is checked by a national education board. Since the Act has not been amended, this scheme is still pending. Our plan is to replace the HSEB with a National Education Board,” he says.
He also mentions that it is not pragmatic to compare the education system of private and government schools. “Government schools are targeted for mass education whereas private schools have lesser students and more investment. The latter also have full-fledged facilities and mostly admit students who are good in studies. This is why the same investment needs to be put into government schools also well in order to reduce the disparity,” he suggests.
While there are various opinions of education experts on reforming teaching and learning and introducing a new education system, there is also a need for joint efforts from the private sector and the government.
“Education is for the future, and if it isn’t given priority and regulated well, there’s no future,” concludes veteran educationist Mathema.
In order to bring new positive changes, there is a need of amending the Education Act and institutionalizing a proper monitoring authority and infusing adequate budget to make Nepal’s education system more professional and free of politics. While education experts have their different opinions regarding the status of the quality of education in the country, they are unanimous that Nepal does need timely reformation policies so that students complete their school-level education as knowledgeable and skills-oriented candidates for further and higher education.
The needs to regulate Plus Two programs
According to Durga Aryal, Controller of Examinations at the Higher Education Board, there are currently 3,596 Plus Two (+2, or Grade 12) colleges running as part of schools and 150 independent Plus Two colleges that provide different streams of education in Nepal.
“Most of the private Plus Two colleges, especially in cities like Kathmandu and Nepalgunj, are mostly profit-based,” says Hom Raj Dahal, Lecturer of Sociology and Anthropology at Tri-Chandra College.
He also mentions such colleges are comparatively very expensive as well, and are promoting themselves by using various marketing skills like using Board Exam toppers’ names and pictures in pamphlets and on hoarding boards.
The government introduced Plus Two programs twenty years back to replace the old Intermediate-level education. But education experts worry that quantity is taking over quality due to mismanagement.
THE WEEK
“After the provision was passed, interested private sector was allowed to open +2 colleges in the country. But due to its growing number, permission to open new Plus Two colleges were halted from this year,” explains Aryal.
He mentions that +2 colleges run as per the Higher Education Act and until the Education Act is duly amended, the Plus Two education system will continue to run in the country. “The schools that were already running were allowed an opportunity to run Grade 12 colleges. We can’t randomly close the independent Plus Two colleges. So we suggest them to at least conduct classes from Grade Eight so that it can run as a complete high school,” he suggests.
On the other hand, Chaitanya Sharma, Campus Chief of Madan Bhandari Memorial College, believes that independent +2 colleges should not at all be running, as Grade 12 should be taken as part of the school system.
“We need a grading system where the school management looks after the overall functions till Grade 12. It’s very important to tie it up with basic school so that students are better prepared to choose their own streams after completing their high school,” says Sharma who is also a former Associate Professor of Chemistry at Tribhuvan University.
“What we need is a quality-based education and not random business-oriented colleges. So it definitely has to be monitored well,” he adds.
There has also been an abundant number of Plus Two colleges concentrated in city areas when such colleges should also be available in different parts of the nation in a balanced way. But it also should be noted that those Plus Two colleges opened in rural areas have helped students of the villages to pursue their higher education.
“There are many students belonging to lower income families who can’t afford to travel to city areas in order to complete their higher education. So the positive aspect of the system of opening Plus Two colleges has helped such students who want to complete their education in their own hometowns,” says Dahal.
According to Lav Dev Awasthi, Director General of the Department of Education, the government has already started to regulate Plus Two colleges and currently has disallowed the private sector to open new colleges which are just focused on providing Plus Two education.
“There’s a certain process to open a Plus Two college. The school management committee first has to recommend it to District Education Office, and when the committee approves and the Department of Education verifies it, after certain evaluation based on the criteria, then only it is allowed to run. So I believe that the quality of education hasn’t been compromised as such,” he says.
The government is also working on a project to integrate Plus Two with the high school system. “Secondary education should be integrated with primary education. We’re working on the project to make Grade 12 as SLC and it’s an ongoing process which will be implemented in the future,” asserts Awasthi.
In pursuit of a better education system
According to the government’s School Sector Reform Plan (SSRP), the level of Plus Two (+2) will soon be incorporated into the basic school education program, and Grade 12 will be considered the new School Leaving Certificate (SLC) spatial line of school education regime. But due to the failure of the reforms in the Education Act, there does not seem to be much progress in the Plan.
The Week’s Nistha Rayamajhi talked to Hom Raj Dahal, Lecturer of Sociology and Anthropology at Tri-Chandra College, to discuss more about the education system of the country and what needs to be done.
What do you think about the current system of school level education in the country?
When the government introduced Plus Two programs, it wasn’t being farsighted enough since the decision doesn’t seem to benefit for long term. When you look worldwide, Nepal is the only country remaining in South Asia where Class 10 is taken as the SLC benchmark. In countries like the US and Britain, Plus Two is considered and practiced as high school level which functions as part of the school system. This is an age of globalization, so Nepal also needs to follow the standard of what is practiced around the globe. The system now is that SLC and Plus Two are two different boards and controlled by two different authorities. What we need is an integrated system that will allow students to prepare for their university education. Many students are opting to go abroad these days, so an education system that is practiced around the world will also prepare them better. So at one point, there’s a need to merge SLC and Plus Two-level education.
Why do you think Plus Two should be continued as part of school system?
At first, the government encouraged the private sector to open Plus Two colleges since they wanted to terminate the Intermediate levels. But after those colleges became rampant, the problems of quality education started rising. I think it’s very important to continue Plus Two level as high school standard because what we’ve observed is that mostly students feel very liberated when they leave Class Ten and don’t take Plus Two very seriously. And independent Plus Two colleges won’t have the same school environment. Students should complete high school, and only then choose faculties as per their wish so that they are better prepared to face university-level education.
What are the other issues of concerns regarding school education?
The heated subject these days is also about the growing failing percentage in SLC examinations. I think that the concept of Iron Gate as synonym to SLC builds a lot of stress and pressure upon the students. When we look at it from the sociological point of view, many students have even committed suicide when they have failed SLC, so that exactly shows how much importance it is given. Students need to be made more creative by reforming the rote learning system so that rather than the fear of SLC, they leave school by becoming better informed and more knowledgeable.
Why do you think that the percentage of SLC failure is rising every year, mostly in government schools?
Education till Grade 12 is considered basic education. Mostly students from lower income families attend government schools whereas the middle and upper class attend boarding schools. But during board exams, the question patterns are the same and the textbooks that they study are also the same. So definitely the pass percentage is higher in public schools because they have access to more facilities. Moreover, teachers are politically inclined in government schools. This is why the pass percentage of private institutions is usually 95 or even 100 percent whereas in government schools it is mere 15 percent. Even when you talk about graduation level education, the Tribhuvan University (TU) pass percentage is lower than those of Kathmandu Unversity (KU). The other reasons are that students in villages are busy with farm works and are not so regular in government schools. Those who attend government schools in the city areas are also mostly working as helpers in households. This is why factors as such are increasing the failure percentage of SLC.
Do you have suggestions to reform the current system?
Firstly, we need political stability in the country; otherwise it will still be difficult to reform the education sector of the country. Even teachers are appointed based on their affiliation to different political parties in some schools of the country. So education should be more professionalized since it’s highly politicized right now. We also lack proper resources. Schools are there in villages but there’s a dearth of proper reading materials and other basic facilities. Higher education should be research-based and basic education should be practical and employment- and skill-based. There should be non-interference of political parties in both theoretical and practical education and only then can we see a fair and professional education system in Nepal.
nistha.rayamajhi11@gmail.com
Related story
Regulation of private education essential: Minister Poudel
