MYAGDI: Two schools in Beni Municipality—Jagannath Basic School in Upper Gajne (Ward No. 5) and Okhale Basic School (Ward No. 10) in Myagdi district—were officially closed from the academic session 2023 due to a complete lack of students.
At Bhanu Secondary School in Ratnechaur, Beni Municipality-1, enrollment has been steadily declining. Established in 1958, the school had 102 students in the academic year 2023, dropping to 72 in 2024.
As of the current academic session, 2025, the total number of students has further decreased to just 48—from kindergarten to grade 12. According to Principal Dinesh Bogati, classes 1 and 3 have no students at all.
The situation is no better at Yuwabarsha Basic School in Lamgara, Beni-1, which offers classes up to grade 4. In the current session, there are no enrollments in grades 2, 3, or 4.
The school, which has four staff members, has just four students in kindergarten and three in grade 1. Bhabiram Thapa, chair of the school management committee, noted that the school, established in 1984, once had more than 100 students a decade ago.
At Hansbahini Basic School in Khabara, Beni-2, the number of students equals the number of staff. The school has two permanent teachers, a child development assistant, and an office assistant—serving only four students.
There is no student in grade 2; there are two in nursery, and one each in grades 1 and 3. Principal Saraswati Nepali said that the school, which once ran up to grade 7, had 51 students until 2023.
That number dropped to 22 at the start of the last academic session, and half of those students left after the rainy season.
Bhanu, Yuwavarsha, Hansbahini, Jagannath, and Okhale schools reflect a broader crisis affecting rural community schools in Beni Municipality: a steep drop in student enrollment.
Even in well-equipped community schools near Benibazar—the district headquarters—student numbers continue to fall, despite having modern infrastructure, permanent teachers, science and computer labs, and libraries.
Kshetra Bahadur Bhandari, Deputy Secretary of Beni Municipality’s Education Department, pointed to several causes: declining birth rates, increasing outmigration, easy access to roads and transport, and private schools sending vehicles into villages.
He also cited the growing public preference for English-medium private schools, political interference in community school management, lack of accountability among teachers, and general neglect from both leaders and the broader society.
There are currently 11 institutional (private) and 53 community schools in Beni Municipality. According to the Educational Records System, student enrollment has been dropping for the past three years.
In 2023, there were 10,825 students; by 2024, that number fell to 10,550. In the first three months of the current academic year, only 7,828 students have enrolled, said Kamal Dhakal, Education Officer of Beni Municipality.
Teachers say parents are increasingly taking children out of community schools once they have learned basic literacy in kindergarten. “It’s heartbreaking to see children moved to private schools just after they start recognizing letters,” said Principal Bogati.
“Most of the students who remain in our school come from poor and Dalit communities.” Bhanu Secondary School now has just 19 Dalit students, eight Brahmin students, and 11 from indigenous groups. Similar caste-based demographics are seen in other community schools in the area.
In contrast, Prakash Secondary School in Benibazar has the highest number of students, with 732 enrolled. Beni Community School follows with 637 students.
Other schools, like Jadbharat Sanskrit Secondary School in Galeshwor (Ward 9) and Paulatsya Secondary School in Bhirmuni (Ward 5), have fewer than 100 students.
At the basic level (grades 1–5), community schools lag far behind popular secondary schools like Prakash and Beni Community School, which attract students from across the district.
According to Lekh Bahadur Hamal, Principal of Prakash Secondary School, it is common for students to attend private schools up to grades 7 or 8 and then shift to community schools for grades 9 and 10.
Despite adopting English-medium instruction, student-centered teaching methods, frequent parent interactions, and providing scholarships and uniforms, community schools have struggled to compete with private institutions and win the trust of parents.
Now, many classrooms in community schools sit empty, their playgrounds deserted. Teachers are left sitting in silent, vacant rooms.
Chakra KC, Ward Chair of Ward No. 9 and coordinator of the Social Development Committee under the Beni Municipal Executive, said the growing disconnect between schools, parents, and the community poses a serious challenge to reform efforts.
“This year, we’ve implemented electronic attendance in all 16 secondary schools to hold teachers accountable,” he said. “Last year, the executive decided that the children of elected officials, government employees, and teachers should attend community schools—but that policy has only been partially implemented.”
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