The outbreak of the deadly virus has certainly brought a huge impact on the lives of every creature dwelling on this planet. What was taken by many in a light manner has slowly but steadily grasped each one in a lethal dose of its contents.
As an educator, life has come to a crippling halt. The hopes and aspirations of the students, teachers as well as parents have come to a silencing standstill. On the verge of all institutions well prepared for their final academic promotion examinations and especially with the much-awaited Board Examinations of the SEE 2076, there came an alarming wave of postponing all examinations and shutting down all educational institutions. It was followed by the closure of everything that we were so habituated to; normal life itself came to a standstill. An institution such as a school holds many responsibilities. The empty classrooms denote a huge loss of time and knowledge.
This pandemic will now have a chain effect on the education system. The school examinations along with the SEE 2076 have been postponed indefinitely. This means that the school calendar has already shifted about 1.5 months further. As examinations and promotion of students to higher grades are postponed, the admission process is also expected to face a delay. This will put immense pressure on the students and the teachers to complete the stipulated curriculum in a given shortened academic calendar.
A cause of concern for, particularly, the private schools would be to cover the cost of operation during the lockdown period.
Many private schools operating on rented land and building still would have to pay their monthly installments, taxes, utility bills and even teachers’ salaries. Furthermore, the directive by the government to not collect a month’s fees from the guardians will definitely impact schools’ income which makes covering the operational costs difficult. The government should provide relief measures such as tax breaks, subsidies on land and building rents, teachers’ salary and utilities to support private educational institutions.
The education sector in Nepal and indeed throughout the world will face challenging times ahead due to the ongoing pandemic. Private schools and colleges would face additional difficulties due to the lack of support that it receives from the government in Nepal. Additionally, students and teachers will face equal academic pressure that could possibly affect their performance. With the economy dwindling, the death toll rising and the very fact that each day the pandemic is still on the rise brings a lot of uncertainty, even in the education sector.
Mrs. Parikshya Lama
Gautam School, Birgunj
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