EDUCATION IN NEPAL REPORT OF THE NEPAL NATIONAL EDUCATION PLANNING COMMISSION EDUCATION IN NEPAL REPORT OF THE NEPAL NATIONAL EDUCATION PLANNING COMMISSION PREPARED BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION EDITED BY Sardar Rudra Raj Pandey—Chairman of the Commission (Chairman of the Board of Education of Nepal) Kaisher Bahadur K.C.—Critic Member of the Commission (Secretary of Education, Government of Nepal) Dr. Hugh B. Wood—Educational Advisor to the Commission (Professor of Education, University of Oregon, USA) PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLICATIONS COLLEGE OF EDUCATION KATHMANDU, NEPAL COPYRIGHT, 1956 By THE BUREAU OF PUBLICATIONS COLLEGE OF EDUCATION KATHMANDU, NEPAL All Rights Reserved The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission in writing from the publisher. PRINTERS SANJIVAN PRESS AND ASSOCIATES PATNA, INDIA APPRECIATION In the fall of 1953, I was invited to Nepal to confer with the Ministry of Education officials on educational problems and potentialities in this country. I was asked to survey existing conditions and recommend a plan for the development of a national system of education. I countered the invitation with an offer to act as educa‐ tional advisor to a high‐level national education planning commission if such were appointed. I felt that such an assignment was a task for the leaders of Nepal, not for a foreigner. And the accomplishments of the Commission now stand as testimony to the soundness of this opinion. True, the members have made me feel that I am more a guest of Nepal than a foreigner; their hospitality, and that of all the Nepalese, has been over‐whelming. But this Report is a product of three score Nepalese educationists and leaders. The survey, the questionnaire, the outline, the discussions, the formulation of policies and principles, the establishment of targets, the plan, the recommendations—all stem from the members of the Commission. I consider it a great privilege to have been permitted to share in the creation and forging of this Report. Particularly, I have admired the rugged determination of the Chairman and his leadership through "rough times"; I have appreciated the faithfulness of the members and their willingness to do their share: I have basked in the colorful expression of our writers, both in English and the translations; I fervently hope there will be a high place in the Great Beyond for those unsung heroes who drafted so much of the Report. This is the Report; but the job is not done—it has only begun. Fortunately, there will not be the usual period between the "report" and "action," because much action is already underway. Some of the recommendations have been implemented as reported in Chapter XX. But the great task lies ahead. Universal primary education, adult literacy, comprehensive secondary education, a great national university —these and many other goals beckon to the members of the Commission and their colleagues in the development of this great democracy here in the heart of the Himalayas. From the depths of my heat t, I leave my best wishes with you. Hugh B. Wood Educational Advisor. DEDICATED TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF NEPAL Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva TABLE OF CONTENTS APPRECIATION ........................................................................................................................................ 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER I ................................................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER II ................................................................................................................................................... 7 THE LAND OF NEPAL .................................................................................................................................... 7 The Geography of Nepal ......................................................................................................................... 7 The People of Nepal .............................................................................................................................. 10 The Development of Education from an Historical Point of View ...................................................... 14 Further Historical Development ............................................................................................................ 16 Nepal Today .......................................................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER III ............................................................................................................................................ 25 EXTENT OF EDUCATION IN NEPAL ................................................................................................. 25 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 25 Administrative Organization ................................................................................................................. 25 The Population of Nepal ....................................................................................................................... 30 The Extent of Education in Nepal ......................................................................................................... 34 Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 36 CHAPTER IV ............................................................................................................................................ 37 NATURE OF EDUCATION IN NEPAL ................................................................................................. 37 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 37 General Description ............................................................................................................................... 37 Buildings and Equipment ...................................................................................................................... 39 Teachers and Their Training ................................................................................................................. 40 Curriculums of the Schools ................................................................................................................... 41 Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 44 CHAPTER V ............................................................................................................................................. 45 THE PEOPLE SPEAK .............................................................................................................................. 45 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 45 General Opinions ................................................................................................................................... 47 Individual Suggestions .......................................................................................................................... 52 Specific Suggestions .............................................................................................................................. 63 Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 69 CHAPTER VI ............................................................................................................................................ 71 NEED FOR EDUCATION IN NEPAL TODAY .................................................................................... 71 The Need for Education ........................................................................................................................ 71 The Need for Educational Planning ...................................................................................................... 72 Criteria for Education ............................................................................................................................ 73 CHAPTER VII .......................................................................................................................................... 76 GENERAL OUTLINE OF THE PLAN ................................................................................................... 76 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 76 Characteristics of National Education for Nepal .................................................................................. 76 Summary