Kathmandu, November 19:

Even though it seems that the government is successful in achieving the set target of establishing Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres by 2009 quantitatively, but the quality is still not up to the mark. The schools which have been operating ECD centers have been facing various problems regarding their operations.

Parsuram Adhikary, a teacher of Bal Sewa Primary School, Chetrapati, said that the government is interested only in increasing the numbers, but it has not fulfilled its commitment.

The government with the support of the Unicef launched the Early Childhood Development programme in 1999 with the motive to increase the primary school completion rates from 55 per cent to 83 per cent which is yet to be achieved.