Good on paper

Primary education in Nepal has seen major developments in recent decades.Given that there were so few when the country opened its doors to the world in 1950, the very fact that there are schools in the countryside is a marvel. Today, the schoolhouse stands out as proof of the existence of the state, given the terrain, the spread-out population and the shrinking of government services during the long years of conflict. For a country that started with just over 310 primary schools half a century ago, that there are about 30,000 serving the populace today is something to take satisfaction from. The literacy rate for those between 15 and 24 years is now as high as 85 percent in males and 73 percent in females, and the primary-education enrolment rate is at 92 percent. Most Nepali children, including the marginalised Dalits, Muslims and girl children, today find themselves in a school rather than out of it. Needy students increasingly get scholarships, whether in token amounts from the government or as generous support from individuals or international organisations. Foreign assistance has been vital for the advances achieved, for it is the 'projects', supporting teacher training to curriculum development and providing guideposts for inclusive education that have improved access for the marginalised.

No one would deny that the achievements have been praiseworthy, but there is no evading the fact that today Nepal's education system at the primary level remains one of the weakest in the world. The situation requires introspection on the part of the Nepali authorities as well as the international agencies which have been sponsors and supporters of the Ministry of Education over the years. Who drives the country's school system, and who sets its standards? Why is it always in a state of flux with no institutional memory, moving from one donor-funded mega-project to the next? Why are bureaucrats averse to understanding and acting on the big picture regarding education? Why are there more consultants and analysts than implementers of good educational practice? Why is there not a single model school that the government runs among the 30,000? The answers undoubtedly lie in the low priority given to education administration by the civil society, the intelligentsia, the media and therefore the politicians.