Structural Reform and Policy Transformation Needed to End Complexities in Education Sector
As the new government completes one month in office, structural reform and consultation with experts appear necessary to end the multidimensional complexities seen in Nepal’s education sector. Policy transformation and a thoughtful strategy have been identified as necessary to resolve the problems of an education sector that has been passing through a prolonged transitional phase.
With the growing influence of technology and globalization, education governance is becoming more challenging day by day. The 2016 study “Governing Education in a Complex World” by Tracey Burns and Florian Köster also acknowledged the growing global complexity in education systems.
Since problems in the education sector are highly entangled, past learning, successful practices from other countries, and mature political will are needed to untangle them. Some initial decisions made during the current government’s short tenure, however, have come under question due to the lack of sufficient dialogue.
To end the existing transition in the education sector and improve educational quality, the following practical and implementable steps need to be taken:
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Innovation and Scanning Unit: Form a specialized and competent team to study successful educational practices, technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and future labor market demands from around the world and support policymaking.
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Consultation in Lawmaking: Mobilize a team of experts while drafting important education laws and hold meaningful dialogue with stakeholders.
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Restructuring of Agencies: Restructure bodies including technical and vocational education institutions such as CTEVT, and maintain synergy among the functions of the federal, provincial, and local levels.
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Higher Education and Curriculum: Develop the capacity of the University Grants Commission and standardize higher education institutions. Make fundamental changes in curriculum and training methods according to the pace of time and market demand.
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Study and Regulation of Student Migration: Conduct a detailed study of the situation of students going abroad in the name of higher education and bring educational consultancy services and foreign academic programs under regulation with transparent evaluation.
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Supervision and Standardization: Immediately restore the school supervision system that has currently been pushed into the background, and increase accountability by objectively standardizing educational institutions and making their details public.
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Digital System and Infrastructure: Develop an integrated software system for real-time communication among the three levels of government and build a strong foundation, or infrastructure, for the use of technology.
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Teacher Capacity Development and Meaningful Dialogue: Engage teachers in capacity development and regular interaction with technology. Under the leadership of local levels, develop a “dialogue toolkit” and implement meaningful dialogue among school management committees, teachers, and parents.
Since different subsectors of the education sector are interrelated and interdependent, adopting an institutional and collective decision-making process with the participation of expert teams would be more beneficial than making isolated decisions in any single area.
Only if youthful energy is used as thoughtful strength, and structural reform is prioritized with expert consultation, will it be possible to gradually resolve both small and large problems in the education sector.
