Community and institutional schools have failed to run online classes effectively during the anti-COVID-19 prohibitory period due to lack of required resources, claims various stakeholders.
In a Zoom progamme on ‘education during pandemic, challenges and cooping strategies’ organised today by the Sushil Koirala Memorial Foundation, Public School and Boarding Organisation of Nepal (PABSON). PABSON co-chair DK Dhungana mentions community schools require resources for operating online classes. Such schools should have access to technology and necessary devices to run virtual classes, he stresses, adding that the government’s contribution is needed for the resource management in institutional schools.
Nepal Guardians Federation President Suprabhat Bhandari says, "the present education system is limited just to providing certificates as practical dimensions had been neglected been neglected and this crisis should be addressed through policy-level efforts,". He also mentions that government schools should utilize the budget for day meal and sanitary pads (which have remained largely unspent) to enrich themselves technically for the effective operation of online classes.
He argues that scholarship facility for students from disadvantaged community is being misconduct as the long demand for establishing a ‘scholarship bank’ was turned to a deaf ear.“ Target groups have less access to scholarship,’’ he adds.
Journalist and Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus teacher Jagat Nepal claims that people from privileged groups have received scholarship, complaining of non-implementation of fundamental rights such as rights to education, rights to health enclosed by the constitution.
Foundation’s member secretary Atul Koirala mentions that the objective of the event was to lobby for creating conducive atmosphere for learning for students staying home during the COVID-19 crisis.
