Challenges in Technical Education Enrollment Despite Rise in Institutions
Despite a significant threefold increase in technical schools within a decade, the student enrollment rate has not seen a similar growth. While the number of such institutions affiliated to the Council of Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) has surged from 500 to more than 1500 by 2070 BS, there is a noticeable underutilization of available slots in these schools.
Utilization of Available Slots in Technical Schools
Last year, only 57% of the students were admitted to diploma levels and 34% to pre-diploma levels. This translates to a total utilization rate of only 47.84% for all available slots, implying a waste of about 52% of the capacity due to non-admission of students.
Flexible Admission Process to Encourage Enrollment
CTEVT is planning to adapt its admission procedures this year, in response to the decrease in students. Unlike before where the institution conducted integrated entrance tests and admitted students based on merit, they are now allowing schools to run their own entrance exams in certain subjects. This does not apply to popular courses such as Nursing, Pharmacy, and General Medicine (HA), which will still be conducted centrally due to the high level of competition for fewer seats.
Technical Education Institution Categories and Their Student Capacity
CTEVT hosts a wide range of schools including 65 individual, 52 partnership, 429 private, and 636 community schools, all offering both diploma and pre-diploma level education. Alongside these, the Education Development and Human Resource Development Center has introduced technical education in an additional 500 schools.
However, the average student enrollment per school remains low, with only about 30 students getting admission in a school with a capacity of 40 seats. This highlights the gap between the provision of technical education and the actual uptake by students.
Underlying Issues with Technical Education Enrollment
The government's policy aims to establish technical schools at every local level, yet the enrollment statistics confirm that students aren't attracted to the current educational institutions.
The primary reason, as suggested by CTEVT officials, lies in the establishment of schools based more on political influence than actual needs. The lack of focus on providing quality infrastructure, qualified teachers, and relevant courses has also contributed to low student attraction, according to Nirmal Sapkota, General Secretary of the Technical Education Forum.
Pramodabhakta Acharya, Controller of Examinations of CTEVT, stated that allowing educational institutions to admit students directly is meant to enhance student convenience. However, certain issues, like delays in admission, exams, and result announcements within CTEVT, can undermine these efforts.
Avenues for Improvement
There is a clear need for change in the administration of technical education. Institutions should not only focus on increasing the number of seats but also on enhancing the quality and relevance of courses offered. Furthermore, CTEVT should enforce stricter adherence to the academic calendar to avoid delays that can deter potential students.
All these changes, along with strategic awareness campaigns, can go a long way in enhancing the attraction of technical education and optimizing the use of available resources.
Important Scholarship
- The number of technical schools increased from about 500 in 2070 BS to over 1500 in the present year.
- In the last academic year, only 57% of the quota was filled for diploma level and 34% for pre-diploma level students. This results in an overall seat occupancy of only 47.84%, leaving 52% of the seats unoccupied.
- The composition of technical schools is diverse: 65 individual schools, 52 partnerships, 429 private, and 636 community schools. Additionally, the Education Development and Human Resource Development Center is teaching technical education in 500 schools.
- Despite the availability of 40 seats per school, only 30 students get admission on average.
- The capacity of CTEVT is to admit 47,000 students at the diploma level and 29,500 students at the pre-diploma level. However, last year only 26,600 (56.66% of capacity) students were enrolled in diploma and 10,000 (33.95% of capacity) students in pre-diploma levels.
- Despite the provision of 10% free scholarships, there has been a delay in the admission process, examination, and result announcement at CTEVT.
