While most local governments are busy constructing ‘attractive projects’–road, bridge, view tower—Bar Bardiya Municipality in Bardiya district is an exception. By allocating one-third of the total budget for education, it is quietly leading the ‘education revolution’ across the municipality.
BP Anmol | CIJ, Nepal
Bar Bardiya was a new name for the locals as they took so time to internalize it, too. The municipality was created comprising erstwhile Baniyabhar, Padnah, Dhadhawar and Magaragadhi village development committees. The same municipality has now drawn the attention of the entire country ahead of local governments completing their fixed five-year term in May. Thanks to the good work initiated by the municipality and its mayor, Durga Bahadur Tharu.
Mayor Durga Bahadur Tharu monitoring classrooms.
Durga Bahadur, also known as ‘Kabir’ during the Maoist insurgency, now heads the municipality. Before Maoist combatants were sent to the United Nations monitored cantonments, he left the Maoist army to join Young Communist League, the party’s paramilitary wing as its central secretariat member. Few months later, he left the youth wing as well to work as the party’s district secretary in Bardiya. This helped him get elected as mayor of Bar Bardiya. Bar Bardiya municipality has done some exemplary works to ensure better education for all.
A new beginning
Geographically, Tharu dominant Bar Badiya is the largest local government in the Bardiya district. Despite their dominance in population Tharus lag behind in education. A section of ethnic Tharu became landless shortly after malaria was eradicated in Tarai and a substantial population influx began into this region. And landless Tharu people faced another problem: Livelihood. Until the declaration of their freedom in July 2002 Tharus from Bar Bardiya were working as Kamaiya, bonded laborer, which is considered as a form of slavery. Tharus, who were forced to work as slaves in houses of landlords round the clock in minimal pay, were deprived of education. Consequently, the school dropout rate was the highest in this municipality, according to government records.
Maypr Durga Bahadur Tharu cleaning school toilet.
Deprived of education, youths used to go to Gujrat of India to work as menial laborers. In recent days, Gulf countries and Malaysia were added as their new labor destinations.
All aware about the poor education situation of locals Mayor Durga Bahadur started monitoring schools shortly after being elected to mayoral position. “I had committed to uplifting public education quality even before I was elected to the mayoral position,” he said, “That’s why I monitored academic institutions ranging from pre-school to secondary level before assuming office.”
Situation was very disappointing. Most school buildings were in a sorry state. Classrooms seemed hopeless; there were no furniture. School grounds were turned as grazing fields for cattle. It was hard to enter the toilet because of the bad smell and there werent enough teachers. Worried over how students would learn in that condition, the mayor himself took a lead to clean toilets. “Actually, what i did was nothing, but it created moral pressure on teachers to keep toilets clean. They participated in school cleanup campaigns.”
The municipality decided to recruit 115 teachers to address the shortage of school teachers. Building good infrastructure was the next challenge. The municipality repaired old buildings, built new buildings in various places, constructed compound walls and transformed school grounds being used as grazing fields to playgrounds for children.
Making public the 10-year education plan.
Then, the municipality focused on improving education quality. “After holding discussions with several people, we decided to sign an agreement with all school principals to improve education quality,” said Durga Bahadur adding, “Because of those initiatives impacts are now visible.”
Since school improvement campaigns were initiated in the municipality several children deprived of going to schools were working at hotels of Gujarat, India. The municipality launched student enrollment campaigns to encourage children to go to school. Twenty-two orphans were found during the door-to-door campaign. The municipality supported their education by sending them to child reform center.
Bar Bardiya is the first local government to allocate 32-33 percent of the total budget for education. This is huge, It has ensured scholarships for MBBS, chartered accountants and engineers and several other scholarship schemes for higher education.
These days, the municipality has established its own child reform center at Seema Secondary School where orphans can get accommodation and logistic facilities to their right to education.
Due to these initiatives Bar Bardiya Municipality became the first local government to ensure primary education for all. On July 12 2018, the then education minister declared the municipality to that effect for ensuring primary education. Earlier to this, the municipality had conducted door to door monitoring to confirm whether school going children are left behind from getting their right to education.
Scholarship bonanza
The municipality has announced a scholarship program called “Mayor with People”. Under this program the local government bears all study expenses for three excellent students willing to study MBBS, engineering and chartered accountant degrees. Apart from this scheme, additional 50 students get full scholarships once their school level education completes.
Priorities are given to economically poor people such as freed Kamaiya and landless and squatters. “So far, 53 people have received scholarships,” said Durga Bahadur, “It doesn’t cost high for general degree scholarships but we have to allot Rs 4 million for those studying MBBS, engineering and chartered accountant scholarship schemes.”The municipality plans to expand scholarship schemes in the days to come. Only those students graduated from government school are eligible for scholarships. “None was successful in passing the MBBS entrance exam this year, whereas studies of engineering and CA are ongoing,” he said, “Hope MBBS study will begin from next year.”
Employment for farmers’ children
While most local governments are focused on building ‘attractive projects’–road, bridge, view tower—Bar Bardiya Municipality’s mayor has been allocating about 33 percent of the total budget, municipal record shows.
Compulsory basic education guaranteed town declaration program.
Prakriti Adhikari, a journalist closely observing change in Bar Bardiya Municipality, says effort made by the municipality is exemplary for other local governments. “Perhaps, Bar Bardiya is the first local government to allocate 32-33 percent of the total budget for education. This is huge,” said Adhikari adding, “It has ensured scholarships for MBBS, chartered accountants and engineers and several other scholarship schemes for higher education. Technical schools are established. A 10-year education plan has been unveiled. Seems they want to do something in the education sector.” Under the education plan the municipality aims to empower community education. Like other places parents in Bar Bardiya send their children to private schools assuming that education quality isn’t good at public schools. The municipality’s aims to change the people’s wrong impressions towards public education. Their target is to give the best education to all those enrolled in grade 1 in the next ten years and make public school a center of attraction.
To improve the quality of government schools the plan has stressed to ensure regular attendance of both students and teachers, organize capacity building training for teachers, adopt newer technology and focus on maintaining discipline and early child development. Priorities are given to the construction of physical infrastructures, classrooms, furniture and IT lab so that students will be encouraged to learn at school.
Apart from improving education quality, the municipality runs a forestry campus. Currently, 82 students from Jumla to Kanchanpur are completing their forestry degrees. Seventeen of the total students have received scholarships.
Mayor Durga Bahadur too is working hard to include other faculties of technical studies—health assistant, lab technician, staff nurse and ANM and upgrade this technical campus as “Martyr Bishnu- Dhani Multipurpose Institute”. The municipality, which plans to offer a full scholarship for 17 students in each new faculty, is now arranging land to build a school.
“This will bring an education revolution in Bardiya. Most people are poor. If their children get a chance to study at their doorsteps, they can compete with anyone in the next ten years. There won’t be a shortage of technicians,” he said.
Under the “Bar Bardiya Pride” campaign the municipality has started teaching in the local Tharu language. Fifty-seven community schools of the municipality have adopted local curricula for students of classes 1, 2, 3 and 6. Text books for class 4 and 5 students are being printed and they plan to teach from the upcoming academic session.
Efforts taken to improve education quality have received praise from all sectors. “Local governments have both good and bad aspects. Bar Bardiya Municipality has done excellent in sectors of health education. We must praise them for their good work in the education sector,” said Sanjaya Gautam, a member of the federal parliament elected from Bardiya.
How to manage resources?
The municipality recruited 115 teachers. Arranging salaries for new recruitment is up to the municipality. Still, the number of teachers is less if the student ratio is taken into account.
Because of the enrollment campaign children staying away from schools are now enrolled but retaining them at school is not an easy task. Teachers are not adequate to accommodate them so is the case in the classroom.
RC Tharu Memorial Municipal Hospital operated by the municipality.
Yet, freed kamaiya and landless people take their children wherever they go in search of work. So, bringing them to class regularly remains a herculean task. The municipality has to invest further to ensure education for all children.
Of the total eight local governments in Bardiya, Bar Bardiya is the first municipality to run its own hospital. The 25-bed RC hospital has three doctors. A work plan to upgrade it as a 50-bed hospital is ready.
Needless to say, the municipality has started an incredible lead in the health and education sectors arranging resources to continue good work remains a challenge. Currently, the municipality has allotted 33 percent of the total budget for education. This doesn’t include the health budget.
An estimated Rs 1.50 billion budget will be required in the next five years if the 10-year education plan is to be implemented. “We hope the budget will be arranged by the federal and provincial governments too. Based on my five years of working experience I think we can achieve remarkable achievement even if we invest the minimum budget in the education sector.”
Next challenge is how the new elected representatives will work in the context of a fixed five-year term of current leadership expiring in May. On this issue, Durga Bahadur seems not worried much.
“We all have initiated these works so they will move ahead as per plan. It doesn’t matter whoever comes to power. We plan to produce excellent manpower dedicated to building the nation, not just Bar Bardiya or Bardiya district in the next 10 years.”
