Concept Paper

Lack of libraries and their impact on rural Nepal

Introduction

The role of libraries in a student’s life is very valuable which is backed up by the study of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). In the library, we have a pool of resources to extend our margin of knowledge and also for resource purposes. SLC or the school leaving certificate has great importance in Nepal. The high school (11, 12, or equivalent) is determining years on how students find, pursue, and shape their passion. Libraries and vast availability of materials not just provide them with gentle push forward, but also a safety net where they can fall on if their choice of career is confusing. In my village, Simle Baglung- 13; there aren’t any established libraries. The schools which are mostly government, lack the resources to provide study materials.

Need for the study

As per the survey of UNICEF, Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children 2016, the student's dropout rate is high in Nepal after the secondary level of schooling. Although the actual visual reasons are not stated clearly, the majority of students quit school due to economic conditions. In Simley alone, the number of students appearing from SLC has decreased by 18% compared to students who appeared for SEE (secondary education examination) in the year 2019 according to the local newspaper and municipality officials. As my village has faced challenges in sectors of technological development and also because of the farming oriented economy of the people, student drop rates are increasing. Also, some of the students had to quit school as the books taught in grades 11-12 were unaffordable.

So, if we can establish a library with course books, extra materials, and some computers, we can control the drop rate and within 2 years, we can actually achieve 80% of the students completing their high school education.

Background

The government of Nepal has been active in promoting campaigns to increase the literacy rate of the nation. As per the Ministry of FInance’s (MOF) ‘Economic Survey’ 2018-2019, In the academic year 2018/19, net enrollment into primary level (grade 1-5) has reached 96.5 percent, into basic level (1-8) 92.7 percent, and into secondary level (9-12) 46.4 percent. In grade 1, the net enrollment rate (children with 5 years completed) has reached 96.3 percent. The retention rate up to grade 10 has stood at 58.5 percent, and up to grade 12 at 22.2 percent. Monetary support like scholarship programs has been allocated a budget of around 2 billion. Despite the efforts from the government, the students have been deprived of basic requirements like textbooks and technology.

After a quantitative survey conducted by myself within Simley in September 2020, despite the scholarship provided by the schools, the scarcity of materials and their impact could be identified very easily. The insufficiency of textbooks makes the completion of assignments a difficult task. Solving a 5-minute Mathematics problem takes hours due to lack of material, which demotivates the students. As the students from my village cannot afford private materials, a publicly available facility can contribute to supporting the notion of government and also boost the morale of students. This will significantly drop the dropout rates.

Objectives

To understand the reasons for students’ rising drop out cases in high school level
To support the needy students with educational resources
To promote reading culture
To incubate ideas of students and help them follow their passion

Research questions or Hypothesis:

Will the library control or help control the dropout rate?
Can the library facilities be maintained by the local people?
Will the library strengthen the literacy rate?
How will the library impact the adult illiterate population?

Study Methodology

The study intends to use the following methods for the research on the establishment of the library.

-Study site

For collecting data, I and my team will conduct a survey within the area of 13.74 square km which includes 10 government schools and 6 private schools. The area has a population density of 363.44 according to the Office of Baglung’s Municipal Executive’s Municipality Profile of Baglung 2019.

-Survey size

The population density of the area, ward-13, Baglung, is 363.44 so the population is roughly 5009. Out of the total population, 30% that is 1503 of them are school-going children. Our survey will be centered on the students.

-Observation

We will divide our team and conduct observations in almost all the schools within the area. With the help of local and school administrative authorities, we will observe the teaching practices, usage of resources, and interact with the students and teachers.

-Interview

A portion of the population from different localities will be interviewed regarding the dropout rate and questioning if establishing libraries would solve the problem. Within the school premises, we plan to interview the school administration and also some students from each grade to understand why they or their friends are quitting school and what can be done to prevent this.

-Data

After observation and interviews, we will analyze the data to reach a concrete conclusion regarding the efficiency of the library to control the drop rates.

-Conclusion

According to the data we will have compiled, we will conclude our research. If establishing a library will show a significant decrease in dropout rates; we will consult the local executive and legislative unit to move forward with the construction of a library. We will share our data which will be helpful to determine how many libraries should be made and where they will be accessible by most people.

Research Timeline:

The project is estimated to be completed in 16 weeks with the following indicated as the activities and duration for every portion of the research report:

● Title: 1 week

● Introduction: 5 days

● Background: 3 weeks

● Objectives: 9 days

● Research questions: 1 week

● Study Methodology: 5 weeks

● Data analysis interpretations and discussions: 2 weeks

● Summary, conclusion, and recommendation: 1 week

● Reviewing work for final submission: 1 week

References:

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/30872819.pdf

https://www.unicef.org/nepal/sites/unicef.org.nepal/files/2018-07/All%20children%20in%20school-report%202016.pdf