Too Many Schools, But Not Enough Learning: Nepal’s Hidden Education Problem

From the quiet hills of Gorkha to the fertile plains of Siraha, schools—big and small—are spread all over Nepal, like mushrooms after the rain. There are now more than 34,000 schools across the country’s seven provinces. But despite having so many schools, there’s a big problem: the quality of education and leadership in these schools is lacking.

Nepal’s Constitution (2015) guarantees education as a basic right, and the government has worked hard to get more children enrolled and build more schools. The government even spends about 10.75% of the national budget on education. For the 2082/83 fiscal year, Rs 211.17 billion was allocated to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. This shows a strong commitment to improving education.

However, many schools have fewer than 50 students and don’t have full-time principals or trained managers. Over 40% of community schools don’t have a full-time principal. Instead, senior teachers act as temporary heads, even though they don’t have proper training in administration or child psychology.

The student-to-teacher ratio is also poor. For example, a school in Khotang had only 9 students but 2 untrained teachers. Teachers often work too much and don’t get the respect or support they deserve. There is little leadership or motivation among teachers, and students are not learning well. Parents feel frustrated but can’t easily change schools because of where they live or their financial situation.

The real problem is that leadership in schools is not strong or qualified enough. Nepal’s education policy has mainly focused on getting kids enrolled, which is easier to measure and report. Now, over 95% of children are enrolled in basic education. But the important question is: Are these students actually learning?

The National Assessment of Student Achievement found that only 1 in 3 eighth-grade students meet basic math skills. More than half of fifth graders can’t write a complete, correct paragraph in Nepali. So what’s causing this?

Experts say resources are spread too thin. Instead of having a few well-run schools, there are many poorly managed ones. Teachers don’t know modern teaching methods, and school administrators can’t keep up with new technology. One big missing piece is qualified school leaders.

People often think that if a school has trained teachers, motivated students, and good classrooms, it will do well—even in remote areas. But without strong leadership, things fall apart. Teachers don’t get training or supervision, improvement plans don’t happen, and communities lose trust in public schools. Even private schools are not much better, often just trying to get by.

Good leadership is crucial for schools to succeed. But in Nepal, school leaders are often chosen based on how long they’ve worked rather than their skills. They don’t get proper training in educational planning, teaching methods, or management. This weak leadership hurts teacher morale, slows reforms, and leads to poor student results.

Building better school leaders takes time and effort. Nepal needs national leadership training and certification programs to teach principals skills like new teaching methods, school management, inclusive education, and using data to make decisions. School leaders should be hired based on merit, not just seniority or connections, so the best people get these important roles.

Sustainability means giving school leaders ongoing training and support. New principals should have mentors to guide them and opportunities to learn from experienced leaders through programs like job shadowing, where they observe how other schools are run.

If we want quality education everywhere in Nepal, we must develop strong, visionary school leaders. They need more power to make decisions, access to resources and technology, and a supportive network of peers. Only then will they be able to turn schools into places of real learning, not just empty buildings.

The focus now must be on appointing trained principals, helping them grow in their roles, creating leadership programs, and rewarding good performance. Without strong leadership, our schools will remain hollow, and children will lose precious time, confidence, and potential—things no policy can bring back.