KATHMANDU, Aug 29: Government schools in the Kathmandu Valley have started adopting English as the language of instruction to enhance their appeal among students and guardians.
There are about 600 community and some 1,500 private schools in the Kathmandu Valley.
As students and guardians are beholden to English medium private schools, government schools, where subjects are primarily taught in Nepali language, decided to embrace English as a language of instruction two years ago.
Surya Prasad Ghimire, principal of Pragati Shikshya Sadan Higher Secondary School at Kupandole of Lalitpur, said that it is necessary to adapt to the trends in the changing world. “Since 2006, we have fully adopted English as the medium of instruction,” he said.
“All government schools in the Valley conduct classes grade six and above in English, while several primary schools have been doing the same,” he added.
According to the Ministry of Education (MoE), there is not any specific rule requiring public schools to conduct classes in English language.
“They are free to choose either English or Nepali language,” said Dr Hari Prasad Lamsal, spokesman at the MoE.
Some schools in the Kathmandu Valley and other parts of the country have been using both languages and charging fees even though school education is free under government-set rules.
There are 29,630 public schools across the nation while some 6,000 private schools in the country. The government spends around Rs 100 billion annually on the education sector.
Private schools, which constitute only twenty per cent of the total schools in Nepal, account for 80 per cent of the good results in the SLC, while public schools see only 20 per cent of their students through, according to the sources.
Community schools struggling with English medium
