Ashadh 1, Janata Voice correspondent, Ramechhap
Of all the schools in Ramechhap district, Manthali Secondary School ranks first in terms of educational achievement and material resources. The school has been saying for a long time that it is a pioneer for the model.Of course, this school is leading the way. But the occasional activities of this school are also really like a model. One such example is in this material of Manthali Secondary School.
The government has allowed the school, which has been closed for 84 days, to run its administrative activities, record students, communicate with students and conduct distance education classes through virtual audio-visual technology.This instruction has been implemented in all the schools of Nepal from today, i.e. 1st of Asar 2077 BS.
The examination has been conducted in this school from the very first day. It’s amazing to hear. But that is the reality. Today, about 35 students who want to be enrolled in class 8 and 9 in this school have been called to the classroom and taken the entrance test.However, the government has allowed gatherings of up to 25 people. But perhaps on the basis of the same permission, the school has taken an entrance test for newly admitted children in the vicinity of Manthali. Taking advantage of the group attendance permit of up to 25 students allowed for any meeting and other necessary activities, the examination has been conducted in this school today.The children have been living in their own homes under the direct supervision of their parents for the past three months.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said in a statement that long-term patients, the elderly and children are at high risk for coronavirus (Covid 19). The school has taken the entrance test in a hurry as if they can do anything for the children who have been under the supervision of the parents for about 3 months.The principal of the school, Tanka Prasad Dahal, said that they had taken the exams while maintaining high vigilance and social distance. However, the government of Nepal has not given permission to conduct any exams.The more children go from home to the test center, the greater the risk of corona virus. But the high vigilance adopted while entering the school has exposed the shameful and open character of the school.
When Janata Voice questioned this tendency of the school, Principal Dahal said that he did so as the parents putting pressure for admission.At Manthali Municipality Ward no.1, There are 5 private and government community secondary schools in total. While the three private schools are planning on how to conduct alternative schooling, but they are in a hurry to enroll students here by conducting entrance exams.After the state restructuring, the task of direct monitoring, regulation and directing of schools has been handed over to the local government.
Although the Corona Virus Control High Level Committee has strongly instructed that students should not be admitted to this intensive condition in schools under any circumstances, who gave permission to this school to conduct entrance test? Doesn’t this school have to follow the rules and instructions of the state? But the city education administration is unaware of this even though the school is under the direct supervision of the Manthal Municipality. Saubhagya Neupane, head of the city education branch, said that they have not received any official complaint or information in this regard.The Education Department of the Manthali Municipality has clearly stated that the issue of taking entrance in the guideline policy directive of Covid 19 does not match at all. It should not be done.
The Ramechhap District Level Disaster Management Center has also shown interest in the recent entrance exams conducted by the Manthali Higher Secondary School. Chief and Chief District Officer of the center Rudra Devi Sharma is also not ready to accept the activities of the examination.Similarly, Janata Voice had telephoned Madhav Prasad Dahal, Information Officer of the Ministry of Education Development and Technology, Center for Education and Human Resource Development, to find out whether they could take the entrance exams for Class 8 and Class 9 conducted by Manthali Higher Secondary School today. Dahal says this process and method is completely wrong in the current situation.Even in such a severe case of corona virus (Covid 19), this trick of the monthly high school to collect students in the school has now been exposed.
When asked to comment on the entrance test with Dhruv Karki, chairman of the school management committee of Manthali Secondary School, he said that he did not know about it and he could only tell after asking the headmaster of the school about it. What a wonderful and shameful thing! While the country is living in Corona fear at this time, how much is the Manthali Higher Secondary School worried about the students and the fees coming from them? Isn’t it a shame that the chairman of the school management committee does not know about the school even in such an epidemic situation?
Even though it has been accused of teaching in community schools for a fee, even though it has been leveled in the past years, shouldn’t this school, which has been leading in educational advancement, accept the decision of the Government of Nepal? Who gave exemption to this school for enrolling students and taking entrance exams by making the children of common people scapegoats? The answer to this question is aimed at educational stakeholders
