Assessing the impact of seasonal factors on school attendance in the Karnali Zone

Abstract

In October 2009, UNICEF Nepal contracted the Teachers’ Union of Nepal to undertake an assessment of seasonal factors impacting school attendance in selected schools of the Karnali zone in order to produce recommendations on strategies to reduce student and teacher absenteeism in the region. The study collected qualitative and quantitative data through focus group discussion, interactions, structured questionnaires and school attendance registers from respondents including head-teachers, teachers, students, members of School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parent–Teacher Associations (PTAs), parents, community members, District Education Officers, Resource Persons and School Supervisors associated with 18 primary and secondary schools in the districts of Jumla, Humla and Dolpa. KEY FINDINGS The main finding of the study was that, for schools in the region, approximately 83 school-days are lost each year through absences linked to seasonal events. This is nearly 38 per cent lower than the government standard of 220 school-days per year. This does not include school-days lost for non-seasonal factors. Students identified as most likely to be absent were children from poor families, followed by Dalit children, children from households engaged in agriculture or livestock-raising, girls, and children living from far from school. The main seasonal factors cited for student absences were yarchagumba collection and harvesting/planting in May and June; temporary settlement away from school during the farming season also in May and June; hay-making in August and September; migration away from the Karnali region to avoid cold weather in December, January and February; and local festivals in February, May, August and November. Non-seasonal factors included family poverty meaning that children had to work to supplement family incomes rather than attend school; lack of parental awareness on the importance of education, especially for girls and children from Dalit families; teacher absenteeism; lack of child-friendly classrooms and teaching–learning practices, including lack of adequate weather protection; school located far from home, making it difficult for some children to reach school especially during adverse weather conditions; and untimely textbook distribution. Teachers identified as most likely to be absent were those originating from outside the district, followed by those attending training and seminars or involved in higher education, local teachers, and female teachers. The main seasonal factors cited for teacher absences were early departure for vacations in September/October and December; late return after vacations in October/November and February; yarchagumba collection in May and June; involvement in faming activities during May/June, August/September and November; and migration away from the Karnali region to avoid cold weather in December, January and February. The main non-seasonal factors cited for teacher absences were poor management of teachers in schools, with no DEO nor SMC mechanism to regulate teacher absences; participation in teacher training, with no system for providing a substitute during these periods; involvement in secondary occupation such as trade or business, causing teachers to miss classes; and engagement in activities for Teachers’ Union, political parties, or NGOs. The main problems highlighted by study respondents in addressing student and teacher absenteeism included the lack of an effective mechanism for supervising, monitoring and controlling student and teacher attendance; the lack of adequate teachers’ positions in schools; inaccuracy of school attendance records; inflexibility in the development of individualized school calendars; the inability of SMCs to monitor student and teacher attendance in their schools; the lack of accountability for head-teachers and teachers; the lack of safe, weather-protected, child-friendly school facilities and teachers trained in child-centred teaching–learning methodologies; and generally low awareness by parents/guardians of the importance of education and the need for regular school attendance.