A private school has to take permission from DEO after making necessary arrangement of infrastructure and eligible teaching staff prior to conducting classes. [break]
But violating the existing regulations, Creative English Boarding School at Babiyachour is running classes till fourth grade without permission and Tatopani Boarding School has obtained permission for primary level but is running secondary level classes.
Many schools in rural areas do not have requisite infrastructure and make their students enroll at nearby schools so that they can appear for the district-level examinations.
"Is this a school or a cattle shed?" asked District Education Officer Bishnu Narayan Shrestha after seeing crowded classrooms at Tatopani School during an inspection drive recently.
Shrestha reprimanded the principal of the school for poor infrastructure and running classes beyond the permitted level. "Stop the classes you are running without adhering to the rules," Shrestha ordered. Principal Krishna KC was at loss for words and committed to move forward abiding by the rules.
Shrestha said that he found many private schools operating illegally in villages. As per DEO, Myagdi, KB Academy in Darbang, Darbang English Boarding School, Sunrise Boarding and Myagdi Academy were among many who were operating flouting the regulations. The inspection team discovered that the schools operating without license lacked infrastructure.
The DEO stated that the schools not meeting the standards set by Education Act would be punished. Private and Boarding School Organization of Nepal (PABSON), Myagdi admitted that a few private schools were operating illegally. "Private schools resorting to illegal practices must be punished," opined President of PABSON, Myagdi, Sudarshan Kumar Shrestha.
Illegally run private schools have grown rapidly in rural areas after the end of the armed insurgency. Under Secretary at the DEO Yukta Prasad Subedi said many English medium schools have mushroomed in villages. DEO, Myagdi, said it has already initiated action against such illegal schools.
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