STEAM education in NEPAL

Education Budget and Infrastructure

Nepal's education budget has historically been limited. While some sources state the education budget is around 5% of the GDP, others show a varying trend. In recent years, it has been approximately 4% of the GDP, while the share of the total national budget allocated to education has been between 10% and 12%. This falls short of the country's own commitment to allocate 20% of its national budget to education.

According to a 2024 UNESCO report, infrastructure is a significant challenge, with only about 50% of schools in Nepal having adequate facilities and a mere 40% having internet access. 

The Role of Secular Ethics

Advocates suggest that a shift toward secular ethics, which emphasizes reason and human development, could help redirect resources and address these issues. Currently, a significant amount of money is spent on temple rituals and religious education. Redirecting these funds could support formal schooling and literacy programs. For example, the Nepal Living Standards Survey (2022) shows that secondary school enrollment in rural areas is only 60%. A secular approach could potentially boost this by reducing cultural barriers that often pull girls into ritual duties.

Ultimately, while a move toward a more secular, STEAM-focused education could help break cycles of poverty and illiteracy in Nepal, its success will depend on overcoming cultural resistance, securing government support, and ensuring a gradual, inclusive transition.

Here is a breakdown of strategies to overcome the challenges to educational reform in Nepal, focusing on cultural resistance, government support, and ensuring an inclusive transition.

1. Overcoming Cultural Resistance

A major barrier to modern educational reform, such as adopting a secular STEAM curriculum, is resistance from communities that value traditional religious education. To address this involve community leaders, parents, and religious figures from the very beginning. This includes holding public consultations and incorporating their feedback into the curriculum development. Making them part of the process helps build trust and acceptance. Instead of completely replacing traditional knowledge, weave it into the new curriculum. For example, integrate traditional farming techniques into a science lesson or local folklore into arts and literature classes. This demonstrates that the new education system respects and values Nepal’s rich cultural heritage. Introduce changes incrementally. Instead of a sudden, drastic overhaul, start with pilot programs in a few schools. This allows the community to see the benefits firsthand, like improved learning outcomes and job prospects, which can then encourage broader adoption.

2. Securing Government Support

Government support is crucial for funding, policy, and large-scale implementation. The political landscape in Nepal can be complex, with frequent policy shifts. To secure and sustain government support develop a stable, long-term national education policy that transcends short-term political cycles. This helps ensure continuity and prevents new governments from completely reversing previous reforms. Teachers are a powerful force in educational reform. Address their key demands, such as job security, fair wages, and professional development. A motivated and well-trained teaching workforce is essential for successful implementation. Advocate for a higher national budget allocation for education. The current allocation of around 5% of GDP is limited. Redirecting funds from less productive sectors, or from certain religious activities as you mentioned, could be a part of this. However, this must be done transparently and with public consensus to avoid backlash.

3. Ensuring a Gradual and Inclusive Transition

An inclusive transition ensures that all segments of society benefit from the changes, without widening existing disparities. This is especially important given the significant urban-rural gap and poverty rates. Empower local governments and communities to manage their own schools. This decentralized approach allows reforms to be tailored to the specific needs and contexts of different regions, rather than a one-size-fits-all model. Ensure resources like technology, labs, and teacher training are distributed equitably, with a special focus on underserved rural areas. This can help prevent the new system from benefiting urban centers exclusively and further marginalizing rural populations. Make sure the new curriculum and teaching materials reflect Nepal’s diverse ethnic and linguistic makeup. This promotes a sense of belonging for all students and fosters critical thinking by moving away from curricula that may have historically favored a single narrative.

Nepal has made significant efforts to create a curriculum and teaching materials that reflect its diverse ethnic and linguistic makeup, though challenges remain. The 2015 Constitution is a key driver, guaranteeing the right to education in one's mother tongue and promoting cultural preservation. This has led to the development of new educational policies and materials.

Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)

Nepal's approach to incorporating diversity is primarily centered on Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE). This policy aims to use a student's first language as the medium of instruction in early grades, with a gradual transition to Nepali and English in later years. The Curriculum Development Center has created educational materials in numerous languages, and the Language Commission has recommended that over two dozen languages can be used as the medium of instruction up to Grade 3. This model is seen as crucial for improving learning outcomes for children from non-Nepali speaking communities, as it allows them to build a strong foundation in a language they already know.

Challenges and Debates

Despite the policies, implementation faces hurdles a major challenge is the lack of trained teachers proficient in local languages, especially in rural areas. There is also a strong societal and parental preference for English as the medium of instruction, as it's often viewed as the key to economic success and a better future. This has led to many schools, including government-run ones, adopting English-only or bilingual education models, which can undermine the goal of promoting linguistic diversity. Additionally, the development of curriculum and teaching materials for all of Nepal's over 120 spoken languages is a massive undertaking that requires significant resources and expertise.

Cccccccc

नेपालमा शिक्षा : अभावदेखि आकांक्षासम्म

कुनै समय थियो, नेपालमा पढ्न र लेख्न जान्ने मानिस औंलामा गन्न सकिने मात्र थिए। सन् १९५० को दशकको सुरुवातमा देशभरि साक्षरता दर २% देखि ५% मात्र थियो, महिलाहरू त झन् करिब २% मा सीमित। तर समय फेरिएको छ। सन् २०१८ सम्म आइपुग्दा कुल साक्षरता दर ६८% पुगेको छ। यद्यपि, अझै पनि महिलाहरू पछाडि छन् — पुरुष साक्षरता दर ७९% हुँदा महिलाको दर ६०% मात्र छ।

शिक्षा बजेट र पूर्वाधार : अपूरो लगानी

नेपालको शिक्षा बजेट सधैं कमजोर मानिँदै आएको छ। देशले शिक्षामा २०% राष्ट्रिय बजेट खर्च गर्ने वाचा गरे पनि हाल यो १०%–१२% वरिपरि मात्र छ, जुन GDP को करिब ४% बराबर हुन्छ। UNESCO (२०२४) को प्रतिवेदनले अझै गहिरो समस्या देखाउँछ — नेपालका आधाभन्दा बढी विद्यालयसँग आधारभूत पूर्वाधार नै छैनन्, र इन्टरनेट सुविधा त ४०% विद्यालयमै सीमित छ।

नयाँ बाटो : STEAM शिक्षातर्फ

आज विश्व छिटो एआई र प्रविधितर्फ धकेलिँदै छ। तर नेपालको श्रमिक शक्तिको मात्र ७% प्राविधिक क्षेत्रमा सक्रिय छन् (विश्व बैंक, २०२४)। आधुनिक STEAM शिक्षा — विज्ञान, प्रविधि, इन्जिनियरिङ, कला र गणित — यस खाडललाई भरिने बाटो मानिन्छ। तर चुनौती त्यहीँ छ — प्रयोगशाला र कम्प्युटर नभएका विद्यालय, परम्परागत तालिम पाएका शिक्षक, र STEM विषय पढाउन योग्य शिक्षकको संख्या जम्मा ३०% (शिक्षामन्त्रालय, २०२३)।

सांस्कृतिक प्रतिरोध

नेपालका ग्रामीण भागमा अझै धार्मिक शिक्षाको गहिरो प्रभाव छ। समुदाय र अभिभावकहरूले धर्मनिरपेक्ष STEAM पाठ्यक्रमलाई सांस्कृतिक मूल्यसँग टकराउने ठान्ने सम्भावना छ। त्यसमाथि, मन्दिर र धार्मिक कर्मकाण्डमै ठूलो रकम खर्च हुने परिपाटी छ। ती स्रोतलाई विद्यालयतर्फ मोड्ने प्रयास गर्दा स्वाभाविक रूपमा प्रतिरोध हुने देखिन्छ।

धर्मनिरपेक्ष आचारसंहिता : सम्भावित उपाय

धेरैले सुझाव दिएका छन् — शिक्षा प्रणालीलाई धर्मनिरपेक्ष आचारसंहितामा आधारित बनाउन सकिन्छ, जसले मानव विकास र तर्कलाई प्राथमिकता दिन्छ। अहिले ग्रामीण क्षेत्रमा माध्यमिक तहको भर्ना दर मात्र ६०% छ (जीवनस्तर सर्वेक्षण, २०२२)। यदि धार्मिक खर्चबाट केही स्रोत विद्यालयमा लगानी गर्न सकियो भने, भर्ना दर बढ्ने सम्भावना बलियो छ, विशेषगरी छोरीहरूका लागि।

मार्गचित्र : कसरी अघि बढ्ने?

• सांस्कृतिक प्रतिरोध घटाउन समुदाय, धार्मिक अगुवाहरूलाई सुरुदेखि नै संलग्न गराउने, र परम्परागत ज्ञानलाई नयाँ पाठ्यक्रमसँग मिसाउने।

• सरकारी समर्थन सुनिश्चित गर्न दीर्घकालीन शिक्षा नीति, शिक्षकको माग पूरा गर्ने, र शिक्षा बजेट बढाउने।

• समावेशी रुपान्तरणका लागि स्थानीय सरकारलाई सशक्त बनाउने, ग्रामीण क्षेत्रमा प्राथमिकता दिने, र पाठ्यक्रमलाई जातीय र भाषिक विविधतासँग जोड्ने।

मातृभाषामा शिक्षा : अवसर र चुनौती

संविधान २०७२ ले मातृभाषामा शिक्षा पाउने अधिकार दिएको छ। यसै आधारमा मातृभाषा-आधारित बहुभाषिक शिक्षा (MTB-MLE) नीति आएको हो। प्राथमिक तहमा मातृभाषा प्रयोग गर्ने र क्रमशः नेपाली तथा अङ्ग्रेजीतर्फ सर्ने योजना बनाइएका छन्। तर, समस्या भनेकै मातृभाषामा दक्ष शिक्षकको कमी र अभिभावकहरूको अङ्ग्रेजी शिक्षाप्रतिको चासो हो।

निष्कर्ष

नेपालले शिक्षा क्षेत्रमा उल्लेखनीय प्रगति गरेको छ, तर अभाव अझै गहिरो छ। STEAM र धर्मनिरपेक्ष आचारसंहितामा आधारित शिक्षा प्रणालीले भविष्यको बाटो देखाउन सक्छ। तर, यो यात्रामा समुदायको विश्वास जित्नुपर्नेछ, सरकारले स्पष्ट नीतिगत दिशा लिनुपर्नेछ, र ग्रामीण–शहरी दुबैलाई समेट्ने प्रयास गर्नुपर्नेछ।