Community schools attracting more students in Kalikot

By Premraj Simkhada,Kalikot, Aug. 13: Public schools in Kalikot have been able to attract more students in recent times. Until a few years ago, the number of students was disappointingly low in community schools. However, the situation has recently changed due to a transformation brought about by the local government’s policy, government initiatives, and the support extended by NGOs to enhance the infrastructure of community schools.

In the current academic session, Badimalika Secondary School in Seuna has witnessed a significant increase in student enrollment rate, with an additional 384 students joining the school.

In the previous academic session, the school had a total of 815 students. However, in the current academic session, there has been a notable surge in student numbers. Currently, the number of students enrolled in the school stands at 1,199.

The early child development programme and anti-child marriage campaign jointly run by Human Rights and Environmental Development Centre Nepal and Plan International Nepal has helped children of school-going age to get enrolled in schools. Similarly, the community schools have also implemented diverse initiatives, including free enrollment schemes, free textbooks, scholarship schemes and day meal programmes.

Stakeholders believed that the increase in student enrollment can be attributed to the impact of awareness campaigns, policy implemented by local authorities, and the initiatives introduced by community schools.

Pushparaj Baral, the principal of Badimalika Secondary School, said the assistance provided by non-governmental organisations has been instrumental in facilitating the enrollment of students in community schools.

Following the implementation of the school enrollment campaign within Narharinath Rural Municipality, Sannitriveni Rural Municipality, and Raskot Municipality of the district, a noticeable surge has been observed in the percentage of students in community school.

Similarly, in the current fiscal year, Rama High School, located in Narharinath Rural Municipality-3, has seen an increase in student enrollment as compared to the previous academic session. A total of 87 new students have been registered in the school this year.

Moreover, students from neighboring districts like Dailekh and Surkhet choose to enroll in certain community schools in Kalikot, such as Badimalika and Raskot.

The project has been helping to eradicate harmful practices like corporal punishments, child marriage and force marriage, caste based discrimination, gender based violence and student dropout rate.

In addition, the project has also helped to increase student enrollment in schools after it began to create a peaceful, inclusive and child-friendly environment through various interventions.

Prakash Chandra Dhital, head of Education Development and Coordination Unit in Kalikot, said that a total of 300 community schools spread across nine local levels in the district have experienced a significant rise in student enrollment in recent times.

He mentioned that some community schools have witnessed a noticeable rise in student enrollment rate, while the others have seen a slight increase.