Under such a scenario, it is easy to assume that very few parents would be interested to send their children to public schools. Surprisingly, however, some public schools in Kathmandu had to conduct entrance examinations this year to fill the limited seats, defying all existing notions about government run schools. [break]
Some of these schools have started attracting students with their improved way of teaching and good management. These public schools in the Valley have really come a long way to be able compete neck and neck with the well managed private boarding schools that are equipped with modern infrastructure.
The renewed interest among parents toward the public schools have been attributed to a switch to English medium and the adoption of new teaching methods by the schools. Following the change, the schools are now flooded with students seeking admission. To deal with the higher number of aspiring students vying for admission, these public schools have started conducting entrance exams.
Tarun Secondary School, a government supported school in Balaju, has opened admission for 1 to 7 grades. The parents of prospective students have been queuing up to obtain admission form for their children. According to the parents, they had chosen the school as it teaches in English medium. Mohan Prasad Ghartimagar of Gongabu pulled out his children from a private school to admit them in Tarun Secondary School, which won national award for the fourth time for its exceptional SLC results among the public schools across the country.
“We have been able to provide quality education because of the hardworking teachers and their commitment, honesty and professionalism,” said Om Krishan Shrestha, vice-principal of the school.
Shreshta informed that the school enrolls around 200 students annually but over 250 students have already applied for admission this year.
“Why should we send our children to private schools if they get good education in public schools at affordable fees,” said Kabita Siwakoti, who had taken her children out from a private school to enroll them at Tarun.
Similarly, Baneshwar-based Ratna Rajya Laxmi School, also funded by the government, conducted entrance examination from class 1 to 9. The school, where 2,100 students are currently studying, is planning to enroll only 200 students this session, according to the school Principal Gita Kharel.
“The number of students who have appeared in entrance exams is twice the size we are planning to take in. We will enroll only those who are capable and intelligent,” Kharel said. “The number of students willing to enroll in our school rose considerably after we started teaching in English medium and put more emphasis on co-curricular activities,” she added.
Many parents seemed anxious to see their children admitted into the school. “Looking at previous SLC results of the school, I made my four children appear in the entrance exam. The competition is really tough. I am worried if my children would be able to get admission,” said Ram Krishna Shrestha, who was waiting outside the Ratna Rajya Laxmi School.
Another exemplary public school, Gyanodaya Secondary School based in Bafal is also decided to take entrance exams after the number of applications reached double the enrolment capacity of the school. According to principal, Dhananjaya Sharma, the school had opened admission for 170 seats from 1 to 8 grades but 250 students have already submitted admission forms.
Sharma was of the opinion that the quality of education in government schools is improving with the active participation of principal, teachers and School Management Committee.
Likewise, Balambu Secondary School also has been dealing with the admission pressure as the number of students willing to enroll exceeded its capacity. The school which had opened admission for 50 seats received higher number of applications, forcing it to hold an entrance exam to sort out the prospective students.
"The parents, who have been paying exorbitant fees to private schools, have started taking their children to the government-run schools as they really think these schools have made significant improvements over the year," said a guardian.
´We feel that we are studying at a private school´
Tarun Secondary School of Balaju, Kathmandu has won National Education Awards four times in the last 10 years, outperforming thousands of public schools across the country. The award is given by the Department of Education (DoE) to two schools - one from among public and another from among private schools - on the basis of several indicators like SLC results and number of students. Some of the tenth grade students of Tarun Secondary School shared their views about the school´s excellent performance.
Sabina Dhungana
When I tell people that I am studying at a public school, most of them look down upon me. They have a misconception that students are not taught well at public schools. But, it is not absolutely true. While most public schools in the Kathmandu valley are good for nothing, there are some that can compete with private schools when it comes to performance. I feel proud to say that ours is one among those few public schools. At my school, teachers always encourage us to ask questions in classroom. If a teacher fails to turn up, other teachers are always ready to teach us.
Dipama Bhattarai
Many of us choose private schools because they teach students in English medium. Learning English is very important as we have to face questions in English language in upper grades. Many students at public schools fail to perform well in college as their understanding of English language is very weak. But, despite being a public school, we are taught in English medium. So, we feel that we are studying at a private school.
Sandhya Magar
Unlike other public schools, our school conducts monthly tests. This helps us to prepare well for final exams. This is one reason why our school has consistently achieved success in the SLC exams. And, even poor people can afford to send their children to our school. At grade 10, I have to pay just Rs 1400 for one year. Our school also provides scholarship to needy students. I have also benefited from the scholarship.
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