School Adjustment and Grade Reduction in Surkhet

School Adjustment and Grade Reduction in Surkhet

At Navjyoti Primary School, located in Bheriganga Municipality–3 in eastern Surkhet, there used to be barely five or six students. In the last academic session as well, there were only eight students in total, including those in the Early Childhood Development (ECD) class.

As the student number had been declining for a long time, the school has now been adjusted and merged into the nearby Nepal Rastriya Basic School, Aulparajul.

With the adjustment of the school, the teacher positions have also been aligned with the sanctioned posts. Head of the Education Section of Bheriganga Municipality, Gajendrakumar Jisi, stated that schools with a continuously decreasing number of students have been adjusted and their sanctioned posts aligned. He said that the municipality has a policy of adjusting such schools and aligning sanctioned posts where the student numbers are very low and there is no possibility of an increase.

In the same way, Chingad Rural Municipality of Surkhet has also reduced the level of nine schools. According to Tulsi KC, Head of the Education Section of the rural municipality, the level of nine primary schools with low student numbers has been reduced.

He informed that the levels were reduced because there were no teacher posts sanctioned by grade level and the student numbers were also low. Lali Gurans Primary School, Chaurgaun; Nepal Rastriya Primary School, Simepipal; Nepal Rastriya Primary School, Tunichaur; Bal Primary School, Totka; Suryodaya Primary School; Nepal Rastriya Primary School, Kholakate; Nepal Rastriya Primary School, Salyangaira; and Laxmi Primary School have had their levels reduced from Classes 1–5 to Classes 1–3.

Barahatal Rural Municipality in western Surkhet has also reported that it has carried out the necessary study for school adjustment. However, Head of the Education Section, Dammar Kumari Rokaya, said that there is no immediate need to implement adjustment.

Noting that student numbers are low in the lower grades, she said that even if it becomes necessary to reduce the levels of one or two schools, the required decision will be taken after observing the new enrolment rate.

Lekbesi Municipality in Surkhet has also prepared a plan for alignment of sanctioned posts and school mergers. Head of the Education Section of the municipality, Pahalmana Adhikari, said that work is moving forward with the goal of implementing it from the new academic session.

Gurbhakot Municipality in eastern Surkhet has continued discussions on sanctioned post alignment and school adjustment. Head of the Education Section, Balbir Bik, said that school monitoring is currently being carried out.

Simta Rural Municipality in Surkhet has also prepared a plan for sanctioned post alignment and school mergers to be implemented from the coming academic session.

Birendranagar Municipality, which also includes the capital of Karnali Province, has carried out school adjustment and teacher sanctioned post alignment. This decision had become a subject of dispute. The municipal executive and the municipal education committee decided on the management and transfer of headteachers of community schools, alignment and management of sanctioned posts, and school adjustment.