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KATHMANDU, May 30: Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, while presenting the Economic Survey 2025/26 in Parliament on Thursday, reported an increase in the student retention rate at the school level.
The report shows that in the academic year 2024/25, 86.5 percent of students continued their studies up to Grade 8, while 66.9 percent studied up to Grade 10, and 40.6 percent up to Grade 12. In contrast, during the previous academic year, 2023, 86.2 percent of students remained in school up to Grade 8, 69.9 percent up to Grade 10, and only 37.2 percent reached Grade 12.
The retention rates up to Grade 10 fell by three percentage points in the academic year 2024 compared to 2023. However, more students completed the basic level. In 2023, 80.3 percent of students completed basic education, while the number rose to 82.4 percent in 2024.
The net enrollment rate declined at both the basic and secondary levels over the past two years. In 2023, 95.1 percent of students enrolled at the basic level, but the rate dropped to 94.4 percent in 2024. At the secondary level (Grades 9–10), the enrollment rate fell from 76.5 percent in 2080 to 75.8 percent in 2024.
Revised interest rate corridor system introduced
Similarly, the net enrollment rate from Grades 9 to 12 declined by two percentage points—from 57.9 percent in the academic year 2023 to 55.8 percent in 2024- revealing a downward trend in student enrollment and retention at the school level.
In the academic year 2024, 76.3 percent of students who enrolled in Grade 1 had early childhood development (ECD) experience, compared to 76.9 percent in 2023. This drop indicates that fewer students are entering Grade 1 with ECD experience.
Fewer schools as student number declines
As student numbers declined, authorities increased the number of school consolidations. In the academic year 2024, schools across the country totaled 35,447, a decrease from 35,876 in 2023. Community schools accounted for 73 percent of the total, institutional (private) schools made up 23 percent, and traditional and religious schools represented 4 percent.
In the previous academic year, these proportions stood at 74.1 percent, 22 percent, and 3.9 percent, respectively. School mapping and consolidation efforts led to a reduction in the number of schools from 2023 to 2024.
55.9 percent of schools have fewer than 100 students
The survey found that the number of students is less than 100 in 55.9 percent of community schools. Similarly, only 0.4 percent of community schools educate more than 2,000 students. The survey also highlighted that increasing migration to urban areas and declining birth rates have reduced student numbers in rural schools.
Fewer female teachers work at the secondary level
More female teachers work at the basic level than at the secondary level. In the academic year 2024, female teachers made up only 42.6 percent of the total 279,585 teachers in all types of schools, while male teachers accounted for 57.4 percent. Female teachers represent 49.3 percent at the basic level and 50.7 percent are male, but the gap widens significantly at the secondary level.
