Koshi Province emerging as educational hub

By Sachin Pokhrel/Khemraj Sapkota,Biratnagar, July 5: As the quality of higher secondary education continues to improve in Koshi Province, cities like Biratnagar, Itahari, Dharan, and Birtamod are evolving into educational hubs. 

With the increasing number of students, who have passed the School Education Examination (SEE), seeking admission in Grades 11, these cities are steadily transforming into educational hubs.

According to the National Examination Board, 75,466 students from Koshi Province participated in SEE 2081, and of them 47,835 passed it. Among them, around 6,258 students secured a GPA between 3.6 and 4.0. 

There was a time when pursuing higher education meant going to Kathmandu or abroad for the locals of the province. 

However, in recent years, with the development of infrastructure, academic standards, teaching methods, and better results, the educational institutions within Koshi Province have begun retaining students.

Within Biratnagar Metropolitan City alone, 176 schools are in operation, with more than 47 schools offering classes from grades 11 and 12. 

According to the data provided by the metropolis, 29 of these are institutional schools, while others are operated at the community level.

Renowned colleges such as Araniko, Pokharia, Maryland, Birat Academy, Sagarmatha, Shikshadeep, and Himalayan admit thousands of students annually. Some colleges have over 500 students enrolled in grades 11 and 12 alone.

These institutions are equipped with fundamental physical infrastructure such as smart boards, computer labs, science labs, libraries, and transport facilities. 

Some have adopted international curricula with technology-friendly teaching methods, focusing practical learning, interaction between teachers and students, and leadership development.

Itahari has now been established itself as an educational destination, according to education activist Prajwal Parajuli of Sunsari. 

Both private and community institutions have improved their physical and academic structures to ensure quality education. “Considering the number of students willing to study in Itahari and the preparations made by the institutions, now people are free from the compulsion to go to the capital or abroad for higher education,” said Parajuli.

Araniko College in Biratnagar has carved a niche in the education of science.  According to principal Rajesh Karki, Araniko proved its quality last year by producing the board topper. 

“Now not only Biratnagar’s, but both community and institutional educational institutions across Koshi Province are establishing themselves as educational hubs,” he said.

According to Karki, even community schools offering technical education are now focusing on entrepreneurship and employment. “We have already produced students of international quality,” he added.

Other institutions in Biratnagar such as Shikshadeep, Maryland, Pokharia, Orchid, Kowas, Kantipur, Greenland, and BKVVM have also produced excellent results, helping to  shape  the region as an educational hub. 

Shyam Babu Kafle, Principal of Sajilal Secondary School in Morang, said, “It is not just physical infrastructure but the quality of education has improved because the practical education is linked to livelihood.”

In Jhapa, institutions such as Damak Polytechnic, Himalayan Secondary, Devi Secondary, Manakamana, Quet, Gamendra, Dhulabari, and Kakarbhitta are also helping establish the district as an educational centre. 

According to journalist Ambika Bhandari, these schools are providing quality opportunities through scholarships, transportation, and facilities, even for students from rural areas.

In Sunsari, institutions such as Bishwo Adarsha, Koshi, Kasturi, Namuna, Janata, Rastriya Secondary, Skill, Sushma Godawari, and Edutech College in Itahari, Adarsha, Public High School, and Himalayan School in Dharan, and Jadej in Barahakshetra have strengthened academic activities. 

As Sunsari lies at the centre of Koshi Province, local experts say schools here, both community and institutional, experience high demand.

For Sanskrit studies, the district hosts Pindeshwar Vidhyapeeth under the Sanskrit University. It also offers necessary structures and human resources for education in information technology and agriculture.

The schools here are capable of providing quality education to all students of all backgrounds. According to Pramod Bhattarai, president of the Nepal Student Union, Sunsari, although some issues remain in the southern part of the district, most academic facilities are available locally. 

He mentioned that the district has adequate infrastructure for education ranging from Sanskrit to IT and agriculture.

Even in the hilly districts of Koshi Province, signs of an educational revolution are visible. Dozens of institutions in Ilam, Panchthar, Dhankuta, Bhojpur, Okhaldhunga, Solukhumbu, and Khotang are producing excellent results locally. 

According to Ram Bahadur Raut, Principal of Chisapani Model School, despite limitations in transport and technology, hilly schools are capable of providing quality education.

According to Krishna Prasad Pokhrel, Director of the Education Development Directorate in Dhankuta, student enrolment is increasing in most schools and colleges across Koshi Province. 

“Even students from the Madhes region are being drawn to community schools in Biratnagar,” Pokhrel said.

He added that the provincial government is also operating a ‘Studying while Working’ programme to maintain education quality and link it to employment. “This programme is expected to help reduce the rate of students going abroad,” said Pokhrel.

Based on educational infrastructure, results, tech-friendly learning, public-private partnerships, and academic leadership, Koshi Province, particularly cities like Biratnagar, Dharan, Itahari, and Birtamod, is emerging as one of the nation’s key centres for higher secondary education.

Biratnagar launches scholarship targeting underprivileged students

Meanwhile, Biratnagar Metropolitan City has introduced a scholarship programme targeting economically disadvantaged students aspiring to study in grade 11.

According to Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, education officer at the metropolis, the municipality itself will conduct entrance exams for scholarships that institutional schools are required to provide.

Bhattarai said that students would be allowed to choose up to five schools, and placements will be made based on merit.

According to the municipality, students enrolling in grade 11 in academic year 2082 who meet the required criteria will benefit from this programme. An online application system has also been implemented for the scholarship.