More Than Half of Community Schools Have Fewer Than 100 Students in Nepal
Nepal government data show that more than half of the community schools operating in the country have fewer than 100 students. The Ministry of Education and Sports has moved forward with discussions on whether to continue operating schools facing a shortage of students or merge them with other schools.
Key Statistics
| Indicator | Statistics |
|---|---|
| Total community schools in Nepal | 27,010 |
| Schools with fewer than 100 students | 13,736 |
| Share of schools with fewer than 100 students | 50.86% |
| Schools with 100 to 500 students | 10,086 |
| Schools with 501 to 1,000 students | 1,670 |
| Schools with 1,001 to 1,500 students | 467 |
| Schools with more than 1,500 students | 1,051 |
| Highest student-enrolled community school | Kalika Manav Gyan Secondary School, Butwal |
| Students at Kalika Manav Gyan Secondary School | 8,239 |
| Districts represented among top 10 high-enrollment schools | Rupandehi, Kathmandu, Dhanusha, Kapilvastu, Bhaktapur, Morang |
| High-enrollment schools located in Rupandehi among top 10 | 4 |
| High-enrollment schools located in Kathmandu among top 10 | 2 |
| Other districts with one school each in top 10 | Dhanusha, Kapilvastu, Bhaktapur, Morang |
| Schools adjusted/merged so far | More than 650 |
| Primary-level teacher posts upgraded to lower secondary level | 6,000 |
According to government data, 27,010 community schools are operating across the country. Among them, 13,736 schools have fewer than 100 students. This accounts for 50.86 percent of the total community schools.
Student distribution in community schools appears unequal. While some schools have a very low number of students, thousands of students are studying in some other schools. According to the ministry, the community school with the highest number of students is Kalika Manav Gyan Secondary School, located in Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City of Rupandehi. A total of 8,239 students are studying at the school.
Among the 10 community schools with a large number of students, four schools are in Rupandehi district alone. Similarly, two schools are in Kathmandu, while one school each in Dhanusha, Kapilvastu, Bhaktapur, and Morang has more than 4,000 students.
According to the data, there are 10,086 community schools with 100 to 500 students. There are 1,670 schools with 501 to 1,000 students. Similarly, 467 schools have 1,001 to 1,500 students.
Although student attraction appears to be increasing in some community schools due to school management, leadership, investment, and efforts made for quality improvement, a large number of schools still have low student numbers. Schools with low student numbers have begun to be adjusted based on the needs and mapping of local levels.
According to Anaprasad Neupane, Director General of the Center for Education and Human Resource Development, more than 650 schools have been adjusted so far. He also informed that classes in some schools have been downgraded as needed.
The process of transferring surplus teachers from merged schools to other schools with fewer sanctioned teacher posts has also been advanced. After it was found that there were fewer teacher posts at the upper level and more teacher posts at the lower levels, the government has accelerated the process of upgrading sanctioned posts. According to the center, six thousand primary-level sanctioned posts have recently been upgraded and sent to the lower secondary level.
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