Community schools within the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) are witnessing a significant surge in new student enrollments for the upcoming academic session, outperforming figures from previous years.
According to data released by the KMC Education Department, 1,115 children officially commenced their education during the Akshyarambha ceremony held on the auspicious day of Saraswati Puja. Keshav Gyawali, Acting Chief of the Education Department, noted that this represents an increase of 144 students compared to the same period last year.
On the occasion of Saraswati Puja, 1,115 children began their schooling in community schools within Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Among those starting their lessons, 525 are girls and 590 are boys. This number is an increase of 144 compared to last year. Last year, 971 children had started their lessons on this day. There are 87 community schools within the metropolis. Among these, schools located inside prisons do not have Early Childhood Development (ECD) classes; the remaining schools do.
While participating in the Akshyarambha program at Gyanodaya Secondary School, the Acting Mayor of the Metropolis, Sunita Dangol, mentioned that the metropolis has prioritized building a strong foundation for children's holistic development in a child-friendly environment.
"Policies, plans, and programs have been formulated to produce competitive human resources from community schools; investment in resources, tools, and equipment has been increased, and we have emphasized human resource development. This will result in excellent outcomes from the schools," she stated.
Among the schools where a high number of children began their lessons, 87 were at Gyanodaya Secondary School in Bafal, 50 at Neel Barahi Secondary School in Tankeshwar, and 42 at Bhanu Secondary School in Ranipokhari.
The attraction of children toward Early Childhood Development classes has increased because the metropolis has managed ECD facilitators based on the number of students to improve the level of child-centered learning.
According to Acting Chief Gyawali, classroom arrangements have been made for children who wish to attend school regularly after starting their lessons. Formal enrollment for regular classes, however, will take place in the month of Baishakh (April/May).
