Gone awry

Though the government has long been considering phasing out Proficiency Certificate Level (PCL) into High School education, intense pressure from various student unions has forced Tribhuvan University (TU) to open admissions for the PCL for the academic session beginning 2008. The government took the decision to gradually phase out PCL in order to minimise the unnecessary burden that TU administration has had to shoulder and the adverse impact that it has had on the quality of education. Since the concept of high school education was introduced, private sector high schools have played a significant role in improving the quality of education. On the other hand, students from government colleges have performed dismally — with only 20 per cent success rate.

This also explains the urgent need to incorporate PCL into high school education at the earliest. However, most of the private high schools operating throughout the country are commercially motivated, leaving students, especially those from poor families hardly any choice but to opt for government colleges. The government while scrapping PCL needs to take such students’ plight into consideration. It should make more investment in high school education, expanding the government schools’ infrastructure, so that students from all backgrounds may be able to benefit. This will also help TU focus on higher education, which equally needs attention.