Two schools shut in Kanepokhari amid student shortage

By Hari Prasad Koirala, Urlabari, May 4: Two public schools in Kanepokhari Rural Municipality of Morang district have been closed, and several classes have been adjusted due to an insufficient number of students.

According to Hira Kumari Yadav, Chief Administrative Officer of the rural municipality, Thaneshwor Basic School in Ward No. 4 and Siddhartha Basic School in Ward No. 1 have been closed.

Similarly, Grades 4 and 5 have been removed from Laxmi Basic School in Ward No. 3, Panchakanya Basic School in Ward No. 4, and Suntoli Basic School in Ward No. 6.

Thaneshwor Basic School had a total of six students from early childhood to Grade 5. The teachers and students of this school, which had one teacher position and one early childhood development teacher, have been transferred to Janata Basic School in the same ward. Although Thaneshwor School was approved up to Grade 5, currently only classes up to Grade 3 are being conducted.

Similarly, Siddhartha Basic School in Ward No. 1 had a total of nine students. This school has been merged with Shree Secondary School, Hoklabari, in the same ward. Three teachers and two child development staff from the school, which provided education from kindergarten to Grade 5, have also been adjusted to Shree Secondary School.

Grades 4 and 5 have been removed from Laxmi Basic School in Ward No. 3 and Panchakanya Basic School in Ward No. 4. There were a total of six students in these two grades at Laxmi School, while there were nine students in the same grades at Panchakanya School. 

Of the three teachers and two child development staff from Laxmi School, six students, along with one teacher position, have been adjusted to a nearby secondary school in the same ward. Similarly, nine students, along with one teacher position, from Panchakanya School have been adjusted to the same secondary school.

Likewise, Grades 4 and 5 have also been removed from Suntoli Basic School in Ward No. 6, located in Dahidhap. There were three students in Grade 4 and two in Grade 5. One teacher position and five students from that school have been adjusted to Panchajyoti Basic School in the same ward.

A meeting of the Education Committee held last year, attended by Rural Municipality Chairperson Rajmati Ingnam, Vice Chairperson Bhola Prasad Adhikari, Chief Administrative Officer Hira Kumari Yadav, and Education Section Officer Chudamani Regmi, decided to adjust and merge the schools.

The committee has also decided to make it mandatory to have at least 10 students in each class starting from this year’s academic session.

Earlier, due to a lack of students, the then Pragatishil Primary School in Pingdanda, Ward No. 4, and Shanti Devi Primary School in Pachhish Bigha, Ward No. 7, were closed about 10 years ago.

Currently, there are 21 community schools and 20 institutional schools in Kanepokhari Rural Municipality.