Kathmandu / Every year, many community schools across the country are being closed and many go for merger after they faced shortage of students. But, there are some community schools where the school management is compelled to conduct entrance examinations to select students after a huge number of children want to enroll in such schools.
There is a blame that education quality of the community schools is deteriorating day by day and guardians are compelled to enroll their children in private schools for better quality, but there are such community schools where guardians wish to enroll their children by taking them out from private schools.
It seems that private schools can't exist in the area of such model community schools. There is no private school around Kalika Manavgyan Secondary School, Butwal because of guardians' trust over the Kalika School. Kalika was established as the best community school of the country because of its efficient management.
Likewise, Narayani Model School, Bharatpur conducted entrance examinations on May 17 to select the students for the new academic session as the school has a high number of aspirant students. Purna Prasad Dawadi, headmaster of the school, said more than 2,200 new students appeared in the entrance examinations. However, the school had seats only for 400 new students. According to Dawadi, most students who come to appear entrance examinations are from private schools.
Similarly, more than 1,000 students appeared entrance examinations at Vishwo Niketan Secondary School, Tripureshwor out of which the school enrolled only 400 students. Heramba Raj Kadel, headmaster of the school, said higher number of students seek to enroll in higher grades in the school than in junior classes.
Kadel said they are enrolling almost all aspirants' children in primary level because there is no pressure but it is mandatory to select in senior grades because of higher number of students and their limited infrastructure and resources.
Janakalyan Secondary School, Chuchepati has also started the new academic session only after conducting entrance examinations in three phases. Though the school is conscious about children's right to education, they have no option but to filter students after more students wants to enroll in their school than their capacity allows, Kumari Kamala Rai, headmaster of the school, said. The school has been conducting classes in two shifts where about 750 students study in morning shift and more than 1,300 students study in day shift, Rai said.
All these schools have sections in all the classes. They are conducting classes in two mediums - English and Nepali - separately as per students' interests. Because of efficient management skill of such schools their pass out students also perform better in their higher education and career too.
The government has also thinking to make community schools models like these schools. Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Devendra Poudel said the government is not in a mentality to control private schools directly, but it has been planning to displace them by luring students in nearby community schools by improving the quality of community schools.
"We will make community schools like Kalika Manavgyan, Narayani Namuna and Vishwo Nikantan where nearby private schools don't feel safe." From The Rising Nepal