Bishnu
Raj Upreti,
Abstract
This paper
is based on the SLRC global research programme conducted on livelihood, basic
services and social protection. The findings presented in this paper are drawn
from the qualitative study conducted in Rolpa district of Nepal. The aim of
this research was to explore people’s perception of
the State in relation to education service delivery in Rolpa. The different sub
themes explored under this research were people’s perception on access to
school, perception of school based on their school going children’s attendance,
reasons for school dropouts, perception of sate in relation to public schools,
perception on satisfaction on education, budget allocation in the schools,
behavior of the educational officials, accountability and responsibility, etc.
1. Background
1.1 SLRC
Study Background and Objectives
SLRC
is a six-year global research programme established in 2011 with an aim to explore
livelihoods, basic services and social protection in conflict-affected
situations. This programme is funded by Department for International
Development (DFID) and is currently undertaking research in seven countries including
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
South Sudan and Uganda. In Nepal, the Nepal
Centre for Contemporary Research (NCCR) is undertaking the SLRC programme. The
first round of longitudinal survey was conducted in 2012 among 3175 households (HH) of
Rolpa, Bardiya and Ilam districts to generate baseline
data on livelihoods, basic services and social protection.
Among
various services provided by the government including drinking water, health, infrastructure
and other basic services, education is a prominent one. The state provides free
education up to primary level and takes minimum fee for secondary and higher
secondary education in comparison to the private institutions that have their
own norms and regulations. Acquiring education is a basic fundamental right of
citizens of the country and every citizen must be able to acquire education at
low cost as much as possible. But for people in the rural areas where their
income is not enough to afford quality education provided by the private
institutions, the government has to take initiatives to meet their demands for
education. Thus, with this view this paper seeks to understand people's
perception of education provided by public schools of the two Village Development
Committees (VDCs) of Rolpa district and analyze the impacts that the public
school education has been able to impart in the society.
2.
Fieldwork
and Methodology of the study
The following three areas of
inquiry drive SLRC fieldwork:
A. Internal state building processes.
How do people’s perceptions, expectations and experiences of the state in
conflict-affected situations affect state legitimacy, state ability to provide
social protection and services, and under what circumstances does this lead to
state-building?
B. International engagement with the
state. How do international actors interact with the
state and attempt to build the capacity of state institutions to deliver social
protection and basic services?
C. Livelihoods and response.
What do livelihood trajectories in fragile and conflict-affected situations
tell us about how governments and aid agencies can more effectively support
people to make a secure living?
A
qualitative protocol was developed to address the research question 1, which
the team used in September 2013 during field study in Budagaon VDC and Liwang,
the headquarter of Rolpa. Four researchers interviewed 52 respondents in two
areas. In-depth interviews were conducted to understand people’s perception of
basic services (health, education and drinking water). The interviews were designed
to extract in-depth information from the respondents about basic services
provided by the government. The study focused on understanding knowledge, and
experiences of people of services they have received in relation to the state.
The interviews also included School Management Committee (SMC) members of
schools of both VDC's, principal and other likely key informants.
This
paper explores on people’s perception of public schools. Findings on health and
water are drawn through separate reports. Researchers have noted as many
details about the respondents, which included their name, age, sex, marital
status. In order to extract information such as school dropouts, respondents
were also counted in this category – despite information about their school
going children’s drop outs – because some respondents were younger and had
married at young age. For example, our team spoke to a respondent who was 16
years old, school dropout with an infant.
The
interview notes were transcribed and translated first and then categorized
through thematic approach. The researchers
went through the transcripts and prepared themes based on open coding. These themes
were used to prepare the report and during the analysis.
Exploring
people’s perceptions of education services in Rolpa district generated few
challenges. First, the questions were asked to households who sent their
children to public schools, thus, perspectives of households sending children
to private schools are missing. In some cases, respondents could not answer
about the schools properly due to lack of awareness. They were not sure about
the institutions engaged in managing schools.
We
also sensed that few respondents gave impressions that the state was not
present for them in providing good education services, and that they could not
afford paying school fees (examination fees and others) thinking that the
researchers would provide some monetary support. Moreover, the study was
limited to only one district and hence, the findings cannot be generalized for
public schools of other districts, yet implications can be given regarding
similar locations.
3. Findings: People’s perception of Education
3.1 Total Number of Respondents
In total 52 respondents, 29 from Liwang and 23 from
Budagaon were interviewed. Among the total respondents, 26 were male and 26 were
female. This disaggregation was done on purpose. Besides, direct interviews
with the local people of two study areas, key persons from the education sector
like school management committee members, school staffs, teachers were taken.
There were different categories of respondents among
those interviewed in terms of their ethnicities. The detailed categorization of
the respondents is given below in the chart.
Figure 1: Number
of respondents
Source: Fieldwork, 2013
Interestingly, the majority of respondent group were
Brahmin and Chhetri combined despite Rolpa being the center for majority of
Janjatis (Indigenous Nationalities). This could have been because of the wards
we went to for the interviews. The settlements are mostly segregated based on
caste in Rolpa where Magars tend to live in the same vicinity.
3.2 People’s perception on Access
to School (General Information on Schooling)
Access
to school was calculated based on time (in minutes) required for children to
reach the nearest government school. The study shows that people in Liwang have
better access to school, as they needed less travelling time i.e. up to 30
minutes to reach school. However, in Budagaon, the travelling time to school was
a bit longer, given that children had to travel over 60 minutes to reach
school. Thus, distance to reach school also has significant effect in access to
education in the study areas. The nearer the distance travelled, the more is
the access to education.
Few
respondents reflected,
“My
son has been admitted to Bal Kalyan Higher Secondary School in grade 1. It
takes him 25 minutes to reach there (one way). It is not that far.”
(Respondent 6)
“Sometimes
my son does not go to school. He is in class 8. The school is in another VDC
and he has to walk for an hour and half. If it rains, he does not go. The
school is far” (Respondent 51).
“It takes my daughter 5 minutes to reach
school. Bal Kalyan School is very good… Even if it was an hour away, I would
send her there. There are people living hours away who send their children to
that school…” (Respondent 39)
In
a country like Nepal, with varied geographical structure the distance travelled
to public schools becomes crucial. The government schools providing education
up to secondary level are established in facilitated areas like headquarters, which
are the centers of the districts. These are also facilitated compared to the
periphery and settlements of that district. People in the remote areas have to
rely on these established schools for education services. In order to receive
services people have either commute to headquarters or settle there. This
infers country’s geographical settings hinder people's access to education (Upreti
et al 2012).
People
perceive that there is a dire need from government to extend educational
services in rural areas so they have easy access. This study shows that many
people in rural areas are not capable of affording education provided by
private schools, and they expect government to extend the services so that they
could easily afford it. This way the poorest of the poor households will have
opportunities to send their children to school.
3.3 People's perception of school
based on their children attending school
Respondents
perceived that their children are motivated to attend schools on a regular
basis because of friendly atmosphere. The district school established in Liwang Headquarter,
Bal Kalyan Higher Secondary School has set an example of all the public schools
across the country. The school has been
established as top 5 schools of the whole district and has been competitive
even with the private schools. The school has developed a good environment for
children through proper management such as fulfilling the school resources. This
public school has been successfully running English medium educational system
up to 4th grade with plans to extend the system to higher grades.
Public schools are not usually English medium in Nepal, which is one reason why
majority of students studying in public schools fail School Leaving Certificate
(SLC) exams.
According
to the headmaster of school in Liwang, there have been remarkable improvements
in the attendance of students and teachers. In the past, before he was
appointed as headmaster, teachers and students were either tardy to school or
left early without any notice. As he was appointed as a headmaster, he brought
changes in the school. The changes were subjected to attendance, where the
assigned class teachers would take attendance twice, once in the beginning of
the day and other after lunch. This would ensure proper attendance of students
and if any students failed to remain in school after lunch break’ they would be
fined certain amount depending on the grades they are in. Also, in the past, teachers and students came
to school around 11 am but the timings were changed to 10 am in which the first
bell rang at 9:55 am. By 10 children were required to be in their classrooms.
The
SMC is an active entity in making positive contribution to school. The
management committee is dedicated to develop Bal Kalyan School among the top
schools in the district. It has been collecting financial support beyond government's
limited budget. It has also been trying to recruit qualified teachers in schools
so that quality education is maintained . Further, the school has come up with
different approaches to motivate students and teachers to attend regularly. The
school holds philosophy that restricting children from being irregular could
make the school even more disciplined and maintain quality education. Besides, students
have feelings of due respect on the principal thus obeying their rules. Respondents
even reflected that they have respect and faith towards the principal and are motivated
to send their children to school.
As
one respondent opined,
“Before
I did not like Bal Kalyan School and I sent my girl to private school. But,
ever since the new headmaster came, the school has changed. Most households
started sending their children to his school. He has set strict rules on
attendance, studies and also brought facilities to the school. I then brought
my girl back to Bal Kalyan from private school. This school is cheaper with
better facilities than the private, now.” (Respondent 5)
In
Budagaon, people perceive public schools as ineffective and dysfunctional. The
school runs education up to secondary level but people are found dissatisfied with
its quality. People are not satisfied with the services of the school though
they responded that their children are regular by attendance. There is vast
difference among the management of two schools and the provisions that schools
have been able to develop in order to maintain the quality. People have less choice
in picking schools in Budagaon as they reported schools were of low quality but
there were no options. People’s
expectations of better schools with better quality reflects their understanding
level of what quality rich schools are.
Respondents
revealed students in Budagaon are often irregular because of weak management.
The students were spotted roaming around in their school uniforms during class
hours. There were reports of teachers being late or absent as well. The school
management has not controlled this problem, and this mechanism was not as
effective as Liwang’s school management.
Research
shows that girl’s enrollment has improved due to better facilities such as
toilets and drinking water. About 10 respondents reflected about their association
with their girl children and facilities in the schools.
One
of the respondents reported,
"In
the past, my daughter did not go to school for four to five days when she had
menstruation, because the school did not have proper toilet. But after the school
constructed new toilets with water facilities, my daughter did not have
problems going to school and I am very happy with that." (Respondent 34)
"Few years back, there was no
drinking water facility in the school and even if they did, it was not good.
Children came home falling ill. But now things have changed and drinking water
has been managed." (Respondent
36)
Respondent’s
perception on toilets and drinking water facilities shows they have been much
satisfied these days and are very happy with the attainment of school. Construction
of toilets and drinking water facilities in Liwang have motivated the students
to be regular and maintained the quality of school. But in Budagaon these improvements
were absent resulting in irregular attendance of students.
Among
the 52 participants , 37 perceived that their children go to school regularly
except during times of sickness, when they have some household works and during
rainy seasons. Respondents opined when they have urgent work at home and in their
farms, they do not send their children to school.
5
of the total respondents sent their children to private schools. This is not included
in analyzing the regularity of going to school. Besides, 2 respondents did not
answer whether their children were going to school regularly or not. The study
found out 8 respondents reported of dropping ou out of school.
Figure
2: Regularity of going to school
Source:
Fieldwork, 2013
3.4
Reasons for School dropouts:
Dropout
is common in every school across the country. There are various reasons for
school drop out such a lack of facilities, low passing rates, lack of proper
teaching and qualified teachers (CERID 2002; Kushiyat 2007). Previous studies
show that dropouts also depend on children’s interest to study (Kushiyat 2007).
However, it is a matter of concern, especially after the initiation of MDG to
achieve 100 percent primary education. The MDG progress report suggests Nepal still
needs improvement in achieving the target of primary education by bringing in
about 800,000-1,000,000 children that are still out of school (MDG 2013: 109). Respondents
in the study area perceive that there are fewer dropouts among their family
members who go to school. In Liwang, one of the basic reasons of low dropouts
in the study is the enhanced quality of education. People acquire quality
education in both Liwang and Budagaon, although there are some differences
among these schools. Also, awareness among the parents and family members on
educating children is another factor restraining school dropout.
“I dropped out of school when I was in grade
7 because my mother was ill. I had to take care of my households.”
(Respondent 1)
“One of my sons dropped out of school because
he is 17 studying in class 7. He was very shy because his classmates were
younger. I tried to convince him. If only he listened.” (Respondent 10)
“My son had
no interest in going to school. He said
he wanted to go abroad and earn money.” (Respondent 43)
“My daughter did not show any interest to go
to school. So we married her off.” (Respondent 40)
Various
factors provoke dropouts in schools in rural areas. Household responsibilities,
age, interest, employment abroad and marriage were reported frequently. When the main household manager falls ill,
school-going children substitute for household work. Such phenomenon is common
in Nepal. Unlike the western societies, where age does not define education, the
phenomenon is quite reversed in school level in Nepal. Failing and repeating
classes demotivates the students to continue schooling as they become older
than their classmates. Interests also play a major role in persuading children
to go to school. Though the policy suggest every child is entitled and
mandatorily bound to education previous findings (Kushiyat 2007; CERID 2002)
show that choices are one major reason for school dropout. In rural areas
teenagers generate interest to go abroad and earn money. In most cases,
households support the decisions due to poverty and lack of income. Marriage
also plays crucial role in influencing students from dropping out from schools.
The study shows students with lack of interest in studies are either married
off or those who get married while studying quit school.
Nevertheless, the statement above also denotes
that people value education. Parents openly discuss about their children’s
education so that their studies are not hampered. It was interesting to note
that the dropouts were less than speculated.
It
becomes crucial to understand the current scenario of education system in Nepal
and scrutinize the issues of dropouts closely. There seems to be a lack of
communication between the teachers and parents or parents and institutions
associated with schools (CERID 2002). This leads to lack of awareness among the
parents who become satisfied just because of the fact that their children go to
school. This is where the gaps in primary education system can be questioned
despite much effort from the government and through MDG. This also suggests, in
rural areas like Rolpa, interventions in education system might require changes
to encourage primary education and reduce dropouts.
3.5 People state relationship
3.5.1 People's perception of the
State in relation to public schools
Respondents
delivered their perception of the State based on education management system
and experiences based on their children attending school. They expected better
management in the education sector from the government. In Nepal, public
schools have always been tagged as inferior. Despite enrollment, problems
regarding inadequate resources, crowded classrooms, teacher’s qualification and
irregularity have become major criticisms (Pant and Parker, 2012). A research
infers that children in public schools are predestined with “failures” in the
social and economic strand, which can be seen through a low passing rate in SLC
(Vaux and Subba, 2006: 21). Hence, access to education is not the only problem
in Nepal but is associated with quality.
Few
respondents opined about schools,
“People say the boarding schools
are better, so government must be able to recognize how boarding schools are
managed and learn from these schools” (Respondent 17)
“The local government must be able to
guarantee quality education free of cost in the district through the district
education office.”(Respondent 18)
“Yes the education department must look after
education affairs and quality of education.” (Respondent 19)
“In the education sector there have been
improvements from the government.” (Respondent 20)
People
are well aware that private schools are better than government schools because
of the varied management system. Hence, perception of people are not only
limited to hundred percent enrollment of school going children to school but
also the quality of education. Hence, increased enrollment rate cannot only be
the means to measure progress in education, which currently falls under MDG
goals. As Aryal (2013) argues, increased failure rate in SLC exams especially
of public schools contradicts with the progress measured regarding the
enrollment rate in the education sector. This questions the current policies,
which attempts to measure progress in regards to enrollment, sidelining quality
education and teaching systems in Nepal (Schiffman et al 2010; Shrestha 2013).
Hence, people expect that the government should improve the quality of public
schools by learning from private schools. In contrary, respondents in Liwang expected
private schools to be as good as the public schools as the latter functioned
better than the former. People also shifted their children from private to
public schools in Liwang. This suggests that public schools can actually
maintain its status if not treated well.
People
had views about the headmaster as:
“Before I did not like Bal Kalyan and I sent
my girl to private school. But ever since the new headmaster (Madhusudhan)
came, the school has changed. Everyone started sending their children to his
school. He has set strict rules on attendance, studies and also brought
facilities to the school. I then brought my girl back to Bal Kalyan from
private school. This school is cheaper with better facilities than the private,
now.” (Respondent 5)
“My son used to study in private school
before. Now, I have shifted him to public school because the school is far
better than private schools. It has better management than the private school.”
(Respondent 35)
In
Nepal, people send their children to private schools for prestige purpose. Pant
and Parker (2012) address that there was increase in private schooling because
of prestige issue of being taught in an English medium school. However, holistically
private schools are in fact better than public schools in terms of its
functioning and management.
Public
schools are run in their own standards and have their own administrative
procedures in Nepal. Administratively, every school has policies regarding
requirements of documents from students. In the study area, parents are
required to be present while admitting their children to school with required
papers. When in case of transfers from other schools, students are required to
submit their mark sheets and related documents before admissions.
People
opined that procedures to admit children to school were not difficult. The
school’s administrative staffs would assist in filling forms during admissions.
Also public schools charged students nominal cost for providing educational
services. Most of the annual budget of the school comes from government budget.
It has been found that the education up to the primary level i.e. up to grade
fifth is free of cost provided by the government and the schools provide all
the educational materials. In the study areas, the students have to cover fees
for examination based on their grades, admission,
identity card and tie and belt.
"We
pay around 200-300 per annum in schools. We need to cover charges for
registration, absence from school,, examination, calendar, identity card, tie
and belt and when there is event in school”. (Respondent 1)
"We pay Rs. 40 (USD
0.40) for identity card, Rs. 75 (USD 0.75) for registration and exam fees but
we do not need to pay for books." (Respondent 2)
The
cost of sending children to public school is very low compared to private
schools. Respondents were willing to pay the amount and expected the schools to
be better managed.
3.5.2 Perceptions on Resource
Availability
This study explored on people’s perceptions of
schools based on the availability of various resources mentioned below.
3.5.2a Human Resources
The
study found that the number of teachers in schools were adequate and based on
the government’s allocation of teachers. The school in Liwang recruited extra local staffs paid through different
funds. There are also volunteers
visiting the school in Liwang.
Further, the SMC has been providing extra support in
fulfilling the human resources through voluntary basis in less cost. Since, the
SMCs personnel are selected by the community, they act as voices of community. They
help manage schools and promote quality education through regular monitoring of
teachers, students and other staffs.
3.5.2b Teacher’s Qualification
In general, teacher’s qualification has always been
a part of debate in public schools. Respondents reported on teachers qualification
based on what they knew. Their perceptions were based on spread of words and
children’s progress in school. With few exceptions, it was reported that majority
of teachers in the school were qualified enough to fulfill their tasks.
Few respondents
opined,
"Students who eat at my shop say some
teachers are good and some are not so good. But while listening to the students
it is clear that the teachers are good." (Respondent 4)
"The
teachers are very good in the public school and this school is even better than
the boarding school. The results are also good." (Respondent 17)
"I
think the teachers are qualified. The school management committee looks after
the capacity, qualification, and quality of the teacher regularly.” (Respondent
20)
Overall,
39 respondents perceived the schools quality and human resource as positive. The
qualification of teachers was reflected directly through the passing rates of
students every year.
3.5.2c School’s Infrastructure
In the context of Nepal, lack of resources refers to
physical resources like proper school buildings, furniture, space for toilets
and playgrounds (MDG 2013; Shrestha 2013). Findings show, in Liwang, the public
school was well built and equipped. The school has its own big compound, spacious
classrooms, and toilets, water tanks, science and computer laboratories,
furniture and a huge playground. The SMC monitored the operation and management
of school.
However, in Budagaon, the school’s infrastructure
was poor. Based on observation, the school was very small, without toilets and
water facilities. There is no compound but a playground for children. There are
computer labs or science labs in this school. Same is the case with private
school in Budagaon. The area of the school was malodorous during the time of
research due to open defecation in its playground.
Infrastructures provide meaning to standard of
schools. This takes us to reflect on the resource and budget allocation and
utilization of the budget in infrastructure building in remote areas such as
Budagaon.
3.5.2d Scholarships/Other Provision
There
is a provision of scholarship for every Dalit children in Nepal due to their
poor socio-economic and political stand in the country (NPC, 2012). Scholarships are provided to outstanding
students and those form marginalized family. The past practice reflects Dalit children
underwent hurdles such as restrictions from entering classrooms, getting
admissions to school and mistreatment (Dahal et al 2002).
The ‘Education
For All’ program, by GoN and donor agencies introduced scholarships schemes for
Dalit children (Nepali et al, 2013). Such provision has included Dalit children
in the schools and motivated them to join schools. However, the country’s evidence
show majority of Dalit children are out of school compared with high chances of
dropouts to other ethnic groups (Poudel, 2007).
This study
shows that Dalit children and their families are happy with the scholarship.
The amount given motivates the students to go to school. People reported of
three types of scholarships – Dalit students, girl child and outstanding
performance. Schools in Budagaon and Liwang had provisions of scholarships and every
Dalit student received it. In some households, students acquired scholarships
based on their gender or outstanding performance.
There were
also concerns by people from other ethnicity, particularly one respondent, who raised
a concern that children from other ethnicities also require scholarships .
“There are scholarships for Dalits and girls only.
These days people like us will not get any support. We are still poor. It is
difficult to admit our children to school.” (Respondent 9)
This reflects that people from other ethnic groups are
poor and unable to afford education cost.. This also questions the fact whether
people want the scholarships because others are getting it. Also since public
schools are close to free of cost (with charges on few things) scholarships
amount goes to the families who could use it as incomes to meet household
needs. Costs such as examination fees and other resource fees (Nepali
et al 2013; Epstein and Yuthas 2012; Pant and Parker 2012) could be barriers other ethnic groups face.
Hence, people expect the government to expand scholarship provision based on
household’s status.
3.6 Perception on satisfaction with
Education
The
study found that 32, respondents were satisfied with educational services in Liwang
and Budagaon. The existence of school simply
satisfied people. Moreover, respondents in Liwang felt fortunate about sending
their children to school. However, in Budagaon people had complaints about
water and toilet facilities in school.
In
the school in Liwang, facilities obtained in school was equivalent to private
schools. Few respondents opined,
“Before,
the school was not very good. The children did not go to school regularly. But the
new headmaster came and things changed. We can see it too. He has taken
responsibility in shaping our children’s future.” (Respondent 5)
With
the leadership of new headmaster, the quality of services has been maintained.
This is rare in government schools. Respondents are satisfied with new rules on
absenteeism and regularity. However,
respondents have shown their dissatisfaction with SLC results. This is true for
both Liwang and Budagaon.
As
one opined,
"Actually, there are various rooms for
improvements. The quality of education must be improved still, especially for 9
and 10th grade. This is where children need attention. The SLC
results are not very good. Many students fail. I believe it is because of lack
of proper management. The main gateway is SLC or else our children will not be
able to get proper jobs." (Respondent 17)
A
respondent who sends her children to private school expressed
"
… Everyone around said government school is
better than private school. So I sent my daughter to private school. ."
(Respondent 16)
This
means that public schools have room for improvement if handled well.
Respondents
opined that the schools performance is satisfactory despite issues with facilities.
A respondent from Budagaon reflected on his satisfaction when he learned about
his children’s performance.
"Nowadays the teachers tell us how my
children perform in school. Though I am not educated, I get to know it all. If
they are doing well I tell them to do better.” (Respondent 6)
Satisfaction
with schools and quality differs among individuals. For example, parents
sending their children to school might judge quality based on institution and
their children’s passing or failing status, while students may perceive the
quality of school based on teacher’s availability and ability to teach (Chua
2004; Shrestha 2013). Hence, perceptions derived from the survey findings
somewhat reflects this phenomenon. Parents, despite being uneducated seemed to
be concerned about their children studies. They associated the quality with
their children’s performances.
3.6.1 Education Officials/ Behavior
This
study also explored on behavior of teachers and officials on the students. In
the schools of Nepal corporal punishment used to be prominent. Mishra et al,
(2010:99) identify forms of punishment as physical (includes beating with
stick, pulling hair or ears, making children raise hands for long etc),
emotional (includes slapping by opposite sex, scolding, giving names such as
donkey etc) and negative reinforcement (locking in toilets, oral warning etc).
These are common in Nepal though changes have taken place. Also, news and evidences
in Nepal also show that teachers sexually abuse children though these are seldom reported (ibid).
Negative
or positive behavior of officials can have impact on the children and their physical
and mental development (Rimal and Pokharel 2013; Mishra et al 2010). Moreover,
the impact of such behavior could also be on the parents who might not be able
to pose complaint simply taking punishments as rules in schools. On the other
hand, societal practice shows that hitting children in schools or homes is
acceptable (Rimal and Pokharel 2013).
Respondents
did not report of ill behavior from teachers to students. This could be because
children did not report to their parents about punishment they faced in schools.
It could also be because parents took such actions normally. The one punishment
practiced in Liwang was fines for absenteeism.
A
respondent from Liwang opined,
"The headmaster of the school is very strict.
He has managed the school and children well enough to have our children disciplined.
The school is also better. The credit goes to the headmaster.” (Respondent 3)
In
Liwang, there is a mechanism in the school where children can share their
grievances and file complaints against teachers in case of punishment or
misbehaviors. The complaints are lodged by the SMC. However, no serious cases
have been reported on this regard.
There
were no serious issues regarding behavior of teachers but few complaints were
based on teaching styles and children’s development. Though there were mentions
of no official complaints, people opined that filing complaints when needed
could pose negative impacts. As one stated,
"There have been no complaints so far. But, if
we make any complains then our relationship with the officials may go bad. They
may not provide good education to our children.” (Respondent 17)
Another
respondent testified,
"When we feel that education in the school is
not good, we share grievances with SMC. The SMC has the power to make decisions
and improve schools services.”(Respondent 18)
This
implies there could have been cases related to punishment in schools. Though
this respondent did not mention of any punishment, the fear that if complaints were
filed against schools, the relationship would go sour. This could be one reason
why students might not complain if they are treated badly in school. Also, the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) initiated in 1989 reflects treating
children as respected human being. However, only a slight change in such
behavior has taken place in the context of schools and households in Nepal (Mishra
et al 2010).
In the study site, complaints are only based
on poor teaching quality rather than punishment or misbehave by teachers or
other officials.
3.7 Distribution of the budget in
Education
The
budget allocation for education and other sectors is done in Nepal every year. Respondents
mentioned of not knowing about budget distribution at the local level. They
could not respond to how budgets are allocated in the schools and who takes
care of it. Only 3 respondents knew that the budget allocation is done during
the annual function of school. But they hardly knew where the money was
invested on.
When
asked about the budget allocation, one respondent opined,
"How
do we know about the budget provisions? Who would tell us?"
(Respondent 7)
Some
respondents had limited information on budgeting mechanisms in education sector.
Few stated;
"I do not know much about the
budget. I just know that the budget comes from the central government to the
local. I am unknown about other things." (Respondent 20)
"They provide information during the annual
day function. They say lump sum money has been allocated but they do not say
where it goes." (Respondent 17)
The study shows people were not able to acquire information
about the budgets directly. Moreover, there were contradictory perspectives on
this issue. Those involved with SMC expressed that they make it transparent and
speak about budget allocation in the schools and its use but people were not
keen. This shows an existence of communication gap between educational
institutions and local regarding education budget.
3.8
Roles of associated bodies
In order to understand the roles of responsible
bodies respondents were asked about the role of VDC and SMC.since these were
directly associated with schools.
3.8a Role
of VDC
Respondents
revealed that VDC did not have much role in shaping the education sector. They
knew that the budget came from the central government to the VDC. However, it
was a challenge to identify what the respondents felt about the VDC and its
role in education.
Few testimonies
came as follows:
“No, VDC do not regulate it, I think VDC
needs to take care all the responsibilities of providing services to the people.”
(Respondent 1)
“VDC has not given any serious considerations
in these issues and have not paid attention to the need of the people… this is
the reason why we do not know about how much influence the VDC plays in
delivering services.” (Respondent 17)
The study shows
respondents were not satisfied with the VDC’s roles. According to them, the VDC
has only been providing budgets to the school and it failed to regularly
monitor the improvement of the schools. Due to lack of monitoring and
inspection mechanism from the VDC people feel that the schools have not been
accountable in providing services to the local people. They perceive that if
the VDC regularly monitors the situation of the school then they think the
schools would be better.
Few respondents
opined;
“The VDC has to be involved directly and
monitor the situations regularly to be held accountable towards providing
services.” (Respondent 1)
“In
these services VDC has not been able to provide better services and we have not
seen fulfilling of these responsibilities by the state.” (Respondent 5)
“VDC has not done anything actually in terms
of services.....they only provide money distribution works.”(Respondent 15)
“What can VDC do about it? The work of VDC is
to distribute money.” (Respondent 18)
This shows that
people are not very sure of the VDC and its contribution apart from budget
allocation and distribution. This shows that the VDC has not been visible in
terms of its contribution in the education sector. Moreover, this also calls
for a monitoring mechanism of state and people’s relations, which at the local
level is implied by people’s relations with the VDC. However, it is clear that
the VDC works under all the ministry bodies located at the central level, which
makes the officials, carry the onus of different works, creating distance with
people.
3.8b Role of
School Management Committee
Respondents perceived that information on the
service availability is provided by the SMC through meetings with local people.
SMC informed about any changes that took place in the school. Also, SMC acts as
a bridge to ensure the connection between people and school administration. The
SMC has been accountable to ensure that the school fulfills its
responsibilities and requirements to run smoothly.
The SMC has
been created to maintain quality education in the school and enhance physical infrastructures. The SMC of
Liwang overweighs in accomplishing its roles and responsibilities than the SMC
of Budagaon. The major roles that the SMC has been able to perform are extending
the quality services of the school. But it was found that most of the people
are not aware of the roles of the SMC even though SMC has been working in that
area for a long time.
One respondent opined:
"Actually,
I do not know about the SMC much but they must necessary have done some good
work for our children’s betterments." (Respondent 5)
Few respondents familiar with the SMCs roles opined:
"The
school has done a great job. All the people including principal, teachers and
the parents themselves have been committed to enhance the quality of school
along with SMC.” (Respondent 18)
“The SMC has
been able to make schools better. This committee's responsibilities towards the
school have satisfied us since the results of the SLC examination have also
been good. When these management committees conduct regular monitoring then
there are improvements in education.” (Respondent 20)
The SMC has been playing a major role in formulating
plans, hiring teachers, exploring for funds and capacity building for teachers.
From the findings, it is clear that the locals who tend to know about the SMC
have appreciated its work in shaping the education sector.
4.
Conclusion and discussions
The education sector in Nepal, especially, in
relation to public schools requires meticulous examination for improvement.
There is still huge space for improvement in line to human and physical
resources, and basic needs such as toilets and water facilities. Though this
study does not relate to conflict, Rolpa has been one of the most affected districts
with schools being vandalized and bombed. Schools were shut during the conflict
yet the fact that schools are running at this time, providing education to
hundreds of children, shows that education sector is valued across the country.
Despite the bleak picture of schools and resources, there is an understanding
that education is important to shape children’s future. It can also be assumed
that since conflict ended 8 years ago, the districts have quite recovered in
the education sector. However, much needs to be done to improve access and
resources for children. The administration hurdles people face is more inclined
towards the government to shape school policies that are easier for enrollment.
Findings show that access to school is determined by
geographical location. Majority of respondents stated that they had easy access
to school in Liwang. However, geographical difficulties existed in this area
due to rainfall leading to slippery roads, swollen river. In Budagaon, access
to school was determined by timings and also geographical context as Liwang. People
perceived that the school in Liwang had made tremendous progress in the past
five years. The headmaster and SMC had put strenuous effort in shaping the
school and bringing it to the level of private school.
In Budagaon, however, people were satisfied with the
school because there were no other schools and because they lacked knowledge on
what a proper school is like. Most locals have never been to cities or places
where they could see better schools and see the difference.
In the study site there were more girls enrolled in
schools than boys. It was known that in
most cases girls are sent to government schools and boys to private schools.
The SMCs has been a major role player according to people. However, the VDCs
role in contributing to school was not really recognized in terms of shaping
schools but was limited to budget distribution and allocation.
Students were regular to school, especially in
Liwang, because absenteeism would lead to payment of fees. In Budagaon,
however, children were seen roaming around in school uniforms.
People often compared government schools to private
schools and expected the former to be better than the latter. There were no
mentions of negativity about administrative procedures as the officers were
supportive in registration and paper work.
Based on the findings, in Liwang there were
additional human resources in Bal Kalyan School managed through extra funding
and hiring human resources through its own sources such as the collection of
additional fees and donation. There were also volunteers teaching at this
school. Such cases did not exist in Budagaon. Also there was no monitoring of
teachers and students regularity in schools in Budagaon.
Infrastructure wise, school in Liwang excelled with
existence of new buildings, spacious classrooms, enough desks and furniture,
science and computer labs, playground, enough toilets and drinking water
facilities. However, school in Budagaon did not have enough infrastructures.
Scholarships were provided in both the schools.
There was scholarship provision for Dalit children, girls and outstanding
performers. People from other ethnic groups shared their concern about how they
are poor and how the government should provide their children with
scholarships.
The schools have been held accountable due to
support form SMC. However, the support from SMC was strong in Liwang than in
Budagaon, which reflects the schools proper management including facilities. The
overall, people’s perception of the state is determined by how much they are
aware of the education sector based on sending their children to school.
The
MDG, which is one of the greatest hopes in the education sector still remarks
that enhancing quality education in Nepal requires more scrutiny post MDG (MDG
2013). This suggests that Nepal still needs to have a sound plan on how to
achieve quality education ensuring less or no dropouts in the education sector.
It also seems through the findings that besides one particular school in
Liwang, other public schools still require attention in terms of quality and
dropouts. The school in Budagaon and students wandering around during class
hours is a typical practice of public schools across the country, which is why public
schools quality is always demeaned. However, schools like the cases of Liwang
could be set as a landmark across the country for a better approach in quality
education.
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Acronyms
ADB: Asian Development Bank
CDO: Chief Development Officer
CERID: Research Centre for Educational Innovation
and Development
CRC: Convention on the Rights of the Child
CoC: Codes of Conduct
DEO: Department of Education
DFID: Department for International Development
GoN: Government of Nepal
LDO: Local Development Officer
MDG: Millennium development goals
MoE: Ministry of Education
NCCR: Nepal Centre for Contemporary Research
NPC: National Planning Commission
SMC: School Management Committee
SSRP: School Sector Reform Plans
SLC: School Leaving Certificate
VDC: Village Development Committees
[1]
Authors are researchers at Nepal Centre for Contemporary Reserch (NCCR), a
Kathmandu based institution dedicated to policy research
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