Likewise, Syangja now has 57 higher secondary schools with an increase of 10 last year while Kaski, which has the most in Gandaki and Dhaulagiri zones with 62, had an increase of eight last year.
Manang and Mustang have the lowest count of two each with the latter reaching the total with an increase of one last year. Myagdi touched double figures with an increase of four while Parbat has 24 with last year´s increase of three. Baglung now has 23 higher secondary schools with an increase of two in 2065.
“The number of higher secondary schools has increased as the schools in the villages have opened their doors for higher education,” says chief of the HSEB, Pokhara Dambar Bahadur Batas. “The increase in number of higher secondary schools has also raised awareness along with the quality of education in the villages,” adds Batas.
Batas informs that another two dozens -- including 10 in Kaski, five in Syangja, three in Baglung, five in Parbat and one in Tanahun -- have applied for permission to run higher secondary schools at the Pokhara office till the deadline of Jestha in 2066. “We cannot exactly tell about the number of applicants as there is also a provision of direct application at the center,” Batas reasons.
The board says there is also a massive rise in the number of students admitted at the higher secondary schools. Batas feels that the availability of higher secondary schools in villages has opened opportunity for poor students who could not afford to go to towns for higher education earlier. “Twenty thousand students were admitted to higher secondary schools in 10 districts of Gandaki and Dhaulagiri zones in 2065 and the number will cross 25,000 this session” Batas claims.
The records also show that number of girls studying in higher secondary schools is greater than that of boys in nine districts except Kaski. “Married girls are also pursuing higher education due to opening of higher secondary schools in villages,” Batas reasons.
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