Progress in educational reforms in Bharatpur

Bharatpur Metropolitan City (BMC) has witnessed tangible progress in the front of educational reforms.

Bharatpur mayor Renu Dahal claimed that the metropolis is at the forefront in terms of educational development and reforms. She further noted that the establishment of autism schools, mobilization of youth volunteer teachers by creating teachers' position and launching an open competition for a full scholarship, among others, have established the metropolis as a model.

It may be noted that Bharatpur metropolis has invested 13 percent of its internal income in education. The federal government has allocated only 10 percent budget to education.

Mayor Dahal added, "We have started receiving outcomes of the investment priority accorded to the education". Bharatpur metropolis has demonstrated the task which another local level has not been able to do, she claimed.

The metropolis has started providing Rs 10,000 annually to the students for pursuing higher-level technical education. Likewise, the metropolis is set to mobilize volunteer teachers so as to fulfill the existing human resource gap in community schools.

In order to enable an environment for quality learning, the metropolis has appropriated Rs 6.5 million from its internal source in the current fiscal year. Chief of Education Division Mahendra Prasad Poudel shared that 30 youth volunteers would be mobilized in the current fiscal year.

As informed around 6,000 students have increased in the community schools this year. The learning achievement of students of the primary level was 56.47 percent in the year 2075 BS while it has reached 62 percent in 2077 BS with a rise of 5.53 percent.

Poudel shared that the educational quality of the community school has also seen good progress. The total literacy rate has increased to 98.5 percent.

Model schools have been established in different places for ensuring access to education, he added. ICT training has also been imparted to teachers so as to increase their competence in using technology in the learning transfer process.

He further informed that the internet facility has been expanded to all the schools as part of the campaign of linking learning with teachers.

"In the period of past four-and-a-half years, we developed and implemented a curriculum of 'Our Pride Our Bharatpur' subject for grade 1 to 10", he shared.

In collaboration with institutional schools, full scholarship has been provided to 239 students of grade 11 on a merit base. "This is so far the first-of-its-kind work in Nepal".

As part of its campaign to free the schools from gender-based violence, a female teacher has been designated as a gender focal point in each community and institutional school, Poudel informed. Gender-based violence-related sensitization orientations were also imparted to the focal points of the schools.

The metropolis has established and operated an autism special school at Bharatpur Balmandir so as to ensure educational access of the children with autism, he further shared.

Each community school has been provided with five buses. There are 127 community schools and 97 institutional schools in Bharatpur metropolis. Altogether 86,000 students are studying in the schools