Use of Digital Technology for Educational Governance in Rural Municipalities
Rural municipalities are prioritizing digital technology to strengthen governance and transparency in education. With remote geography, these tools reduce routine travel by principals, school management committee leaders, and teachers to municipal offices.
Improved Communication and Governance
The Education, Youth, and Sports Section Officer reports that email, video calls, and phone communication now handle most information exchange. Teachers appear at municipal offices only when necessary, under a strategy introduced by Bhageshwar Rural Municipality’s Education, Youth, and Sports Section.
Section Officer Ganesh Bahadur Paudel notes that Bhageshwar conducts educational planning, audits, and social evaluations according to set standards. Principals sign contracts with the municipality and, in turn, sign agreements with teachers. This contractual model has supported good governance, transparency, and better educational quality.
Each school has an Information Officer to receive complaints, provide required information, and collect suggestions. The section delivers services through digital channels, including email and the internet. Schools receive email responses to their requests, and many routine matters are resolved by phone. Only tasks needing physical verification require an office visit.
The municipality publishes Grade 8 grade sheets online. Despite these measures, last year’s Secondary Education Examination (SEE) results were weak. In Bhageshwar’s 32 schools—8 of them secondary—two schools recorded zero pass rates. At Shiva Shankar Secondary School, 5 of 8 students passed.
Mathematics and science results were notably low. In response, the municipality launched free supplementary classes for Grades 8–10. Insufficient ICT facilities in several schools were also cited as a factor behind the poor outcomes.
Budget Allocation and Program Implementation
In fiscal year 2081/82, Bhageshwar Rural Municipality allocated NPR 3.6 million to the Education, Youth, and Sports Section. The budget funded principals’ meetings, exam administration, training programs, observation visits to model schools, and free supplementary classes for Grades 8–10.
For 2082/83, the section’s budget is NPR 3.7 million, with a focus on demand-driven training. Starting this year, the municipality plans to run Grade 5 exams as board examinations and introduce uniformity in question papers from Grades 4 to 8.
Early childhood education remains a priority. Facilitator training continues with experts invited from across the country, including Kathmandu.
According to the National Examination Board, in 2081 BS, seven schools in Dadeldhura District posted zero SEE results, including three in Bhageshwar: Saraswati Model Secondary School Bogta, Kailpal Secondary School Patram, and Kailpal Secondary School Panyut. From eight secondary schools in Bhageshwar, 109 students sat for SEE and 30 passed.
Nabadurga Rural Municipality’s Initiative for Quality Education
Nabadurga Rural Municipality has offered three months of free supplementary classes for Grades 8–10 to raise learning quality. The classes focus on mathematics, science, and English—subjects where zero results appeared. Education Officer Ravi Kumar Chaudhary reports that, since last year, the municipality has convened discussions among representatives, principals, school management chairs, officials, parents, and students.
These debates help identify weaknesses and clarify responsibilities for parents. Making educational activities visible to the public has supported transparency, good governance, and timely service delivery.
The municipality has also run wall-painting activities for early childhood development centers. Of 28 schools in Nabadurga, 12 now feature instructional wall art that illustrates teaching methods and learning materials, which has helped draw children’s attention.
Regular financial and social audits are ongoing in schools. Information Officers have not yet been appointed. New approaches—such as boundary fencing, drinking water access, and educational wall art—aim to make community schools more appealing, comparable to boarding schools.
Last fiscal year, Nabadurga’s education section budget for teachers’ salaries was NPR 23 million. For the current year, approximately NPR 10 million is available excluding salaries. The municipality runs necessary trainings and seminars based on school demand and continues to share required information by email and phone.
Where teaching posts are vacant, the municipality provides grants for volunteer teachers and for running supplementary classes. Last year, 177 students from seven secondary schools took the SEE, and 35 passed. The officer notes that these outcomes mirror the broader district and national results.
FAQs
What digital tools are being used by the municipalities?
Email, video calls, phone communication, and online publication of grade sheets are in regular use.
Which subjects showed the weakest performance?
Mathematics and science recorded particularly low results.
What support is offered to improve results?
Free supplementary classes for Grades 8–10, demand-based teacher training, and observation visits to model schools.
How are early grades being supported?
Facilitator training for early childhood programs and instructional wall art in selected schools.
What are the recent SEE pass figures?
In Bhageshwar, 30 of 109 SEE examinees passed; in Nabadurga, 35 of 177 passed.
Sources: National Examination Board data; Bhageshwar Rural Municipality Education, Youth, and Sports Section; Nabadurga Rural Municipality Education Section.
Dadeldhura