Kanchanpur’s Shuklaphanta polytechnic school struggles with low enrollment despite technical programs

Kanchanpur: Shuklaphanta Polytechnic School in Kanchanpur has fewer students than its prescribed quota. The school, operated by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) in Amarpur, Shuklaphanta Municipality-10, was established to provide technical education at the doorstep at low fees, but it is currently facing a shortage of students.

The school offers Diploma in Pharmacy, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Automobile-related courses. Among these, no students have been admitted in the Automobile program at present, leading to its closure. Although there is a quota of 24 students in Mechanical Engineering, only 15 students are studying across all three years.

School records show that student enrollment has been declining each year. While there is a quota of 40 students in Diploma in Pharmacy, only 40 students have been admitted in the first year. In Civil Engineering, only 18 students are studying in the first year out of a quota of 48.

Most students, after passing the SEE examinations, have gone abroad for further studies. Lalit Mohan Kalauni, coordinator of the Pharmacy program, said that students are less attracted to local technical schools as they prefer other institutions across the country.

According to him, although the school has made arrangements to provide free education to selected and talented students along with residential facilities and transportation expenses, student attraction has not increased. In addition to the shortage of students, the physical infrastructure of the school is also in poor condition.

Acting school head Anjan Sapkota said the school currently has only one building with 11 rooms. Due to insufficient space, a library, office, and computer lab are being operated in a single room.

Separate facilities for laboratories, staff rooms, and offices have not been managed. The school also lacks dormitories, canteens, bicycle stands, and a perimeter wall. Similarly, erosion from the Sanbora River is affecting the school’s land, which has not been controlled, according to Sapkota.

Although a detailed project report (DPR) worth more than Rs 1 billion has been prepared for the development of the school, where 22 teachers and staff are currently working, the required physical infrastructure has not yet been constructed. The lack of infrastructure and declining student numbers have added challenges to achieving the government’s goal of producing technical manpower in rural areas.