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KATHMANDU, Sept 5: The learning levels of school-level children are steadily declining, according to newly released government data. The 62nd Annual Report of the Office of the Auditor General, which audited the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, revealed that learning achievements among grade 8 students have fallen further.
According to the report, the average learning achievements in four subjects: Mathematics, Nepali, English, and Science, have dropped below the baseline year. In 2018/19, the baseline showed the average learning score in Mathematics for grade 8 students at 35. By 2023/24, which was considered the target year, the government had aimed to raise this to 63. Instead, the score dropped to 26.
Similarly, in Nepali, students scored 48 in 2018/19. The government had aimed to raise this to 66 percent by 2023/24, but scores fell to 40 percent. In English, the baseline score was 41 percent, with a government target of 63 percent. However, the score dropped drastically to just 25 percent.
In Science, too, the baseline score was 49 percent in 2018/19, with a government target of 63 percent within five years. But by 2023/24, the score fell to 28 percent. This shows that despite numerous state-led programs, classroom learning among students has steadily declined over five years, the Auditor General’s report pointed out. The findings indicate that while the government has launched many programs for school students, these have failed to improve actual classroom learning.
Interaction must for enhancing distance and classroom learning
Deviram Acharya, director of the Education Quality Testing Center, said the center has only conducted student learning surveys, without significant research on why performance levels declined. He added that grade 8 results are weakening in municipalities as well, while SEE and grade 12 results have also hovered between only 50 to 60 percent. “The state’s education programs are on one side, while classroom teaching-learning is on another,” Acharya told Republica, “The classroom process has not improved. There are many, but results have not followed.”
The center conducts surveys in Nepali, English, Science, and Mathematics, using reading comprehension and written tests, he explained.
Meanwhile, although the government has adopted an education policy mandating 70 percent technical and 30 percent general streams, the number of students pursuing technical education has also declined.
In higher education, the proportion of students studying technical subjects was 23 percent in 2018/19. The government targeted 33 percent by 2023/24, but the actual achievement fell below the baseline to just 20.72 percent.
The report concluded that the government’s tendency to announce educational reform programs without implementing them has prevented improvements in learning levels. Among the 60 programs mentioned-including the National Education Reform Program-many were not implemented, the report noted.
Analysis of annual programs and progress details also revealed weak budget and expenditure performance. The Presidential Education Reform Program achieved zero percent financial progress. The Center for Education and Human Resource Development’s Early Childhood Education for All Program achieved 43 percent, the School Sector Education Plan (central level) 28 percent, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology 34 percent, and the Higher Education Excellence Promotion Program 39 percent.
The report stated: “The ministry had approved a budget of Rs 170.185 million for 128 activities. Of these, 59 were implemented, and Rs 70.305 million was spent, achieving only 41.3 percent financial progress.”
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2016–2030 call for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. To achieve this, indicators such as net enrollment in primary education, budget allocation, primary completion rate, women’s education ratio, percentage of schools with internet, gross enrollment in early childhood education, gross enrollment in higher education, disability-friendly schools, and access to water and sanitation in schools were benchmarked.
However, the report said Nepal failed to meet these benchmarks and indicators. “Student learning in Nepali, English, Mathematics, and Science is below the baseline, and basic facilities in schools also did not achieve the set targets,” it noted.
The Auditor General stressed that programs must be implemented with focus on achieving SDGs. The report further observed: “Grants to NGOs have not been monitored. The Central Project Implementation Unit spent 9.30 percent of foreign aid on consultancy services. It failed to recover Rs 5.1884 billion in predetermined compensation from contractors. It also failed to seize a $1.204 million bank guarantee after terminating a solar system procurement contract.”
