Changes in school transfer patterns among children in Nepal’s basic education: Focusing on the impact of different types of disaster

• In Event: Education and Child Wellbeing in Times of Disruption: Mobility, Separation, and Adaptation

Proposal

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have identified ‘quality education’ (SDG 4) as a new challenge in the field of education, with the entire international community now focusing on ‘educational quality’. In many developing countries, movements demanding ‘quality education’ are emerging within educational settings, leading to a rapid increase in private school enrolment (UNESCO 2015). This trend is driven by disparities in the quality of education between public and private schools; there has been a decline in the quality of public education, while private education has increased. Students who transfer to high-performing private schools can enjoy better educational opportunities and realise their potential. However, those left behind in this trend cannot access these opportunities. Consequently, the gap between these two groups widens further, perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Education has long been expected to break this cycle and address social disparities. However, if the above-described phenomenon is occurring, it suggests that education itself may be contributing to widening disparities.

Meanwhile, conflicts and disasters that threaten people’s lives have become more common worldwide in recent years. During such emergencies, normal protective support systems tend to break down, exacerbating existing problems such as social injustice and inequality (IASC 2007). Furthermore, the damage is greater in countries and regions that lack sufficient preventive capacity, such as developing nations. Various reports have been published regarding the adverse effects of conflict on the education sector, primarily by international organisations (e.g. World Bank 2011; UNESCO 2011). However, data collection in the situation is difficult because the period immediately after an event occurs is dominated by emergency response efforts, so detailed research is limited.

This study therefore compares the impact of two disasters —the major earthquake of 2015 and the 2020 outbreak of the COVID-19— on the school transfer patterns of individual children in Nepal. Specifically, it examines transfers driven by the pursuit of higher-quality education, such as moves from public to private schools and from suburb to urban areas. The study also aims to clarify the distinct impacts of these different types of disaster. The target schools are all public schools located in the suburbs of Bhaktapur District. School record data were collected at each school, and interviews were conducted with teachers regarding individual children’s school transfers.

As a result, it was found that the number and types of school transfers increased during both disasters. Furthermore, after both disasters occurred, the proportion of transfers from public to private schools seeking ‘high-quality education’ decreased, but the damage caused by the major earthquake was greater. Not only did the major earthquake cause physical damage to people’s homes and historical buildings, it also caused economic damage, leading to a 5.7-fold increase in the opposite transfer pattern — from private to public schools — compared to normal times. In contrast, during the pandemic, this pattern increased tenfold compared to normal times. The presentation will explain these details, including the background to these findings.

Author

• Naruho Ezaki, Aichi Shukutoku University