सोमबार, १७ कार्तिक २०८२
Kathmandu - Mahabir Pun, the head of the National Innovation Center, made headlines last month after he was appointed as the Minister of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) in the interim government formed on the recommendation of the protesters after the Gen-Z rebellion forced KP Oli to resign. Topics such as him asking to arrange a bed and kitchen to live in the Ministry (office) instead of in the ministerial quarters, his normal lifestyle, immediate answers to questions raised about him on social media, and his traveling like a common citizen while going home for Dashain also became a priority topic for the media. Mahabir Pun is a scientist and social activist. He was currently earning money by selling his 'autobiography' in various parts of the country to run an Agricultural Equipment Factory, and a book seller appointed as a Minister. Mr. Pun told him not to call him as the Minister, the news published.
MoEST Mahabir Pun held a press conference at Ministry premises about the work he has done during his one-month tenure, the photo of the Minister holding a hand-full of microphones and putting clip microphone around his shoulder was a matter of attraction in the media. Minister Pun's one-month achievements at the press conference included a list of directives and decisions. Instructions included: provision of making computer teachers in every community school, the high-ranking officials of Tribhuvan University (TU) asked to come up with a reform plan to establish TU as an international university, making the university premises attractive by clearing overgrown bush and creating a garden and sidewalk in its Kirtipur campus, the news mentioned. In addition, he directed to make arrangements to create an integrated calendar and publish the exam results within three months, to establish a department and operate immediately to listen complaints from students, parents, and teachers, and to document and address the complaints received. Instructions have also been given to the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT). They have been asked to prepare a blueprint to improve the existing curricula and incorporate innovation and investigate all applications received for affiliation since 2011 and submit both reports by mid-October He stated in a press conference that he has directed to find a way out to match teacher positions, merge schools with very low numbers of students, to formulate a procedure to be implemented across the country for the appointment of qualified and competent Head Teachers in schools. ‘Once the procedure is developed, the haphazard selection of principals based on political pressure will be controlled’, Mr. Pun claimed. Another directive is to create a program that emphasizes the creation of digital educational materials for online learning, the news covered.
Education Minister Pun has given three-point instructions after monitoring the Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), the Education and Human Resource Development Center, and the Curriculum Development Center, mentioned the news. Minister Pun asked the curriculum of public and private schools should be developed, revised, and updated in a timely manner, assist in the development of mother tongue textbooks, and high priority should be given to imparting knowledge about moral education, practical education, history, and the constitution in textbooks, quoted the news.
The decisions by the Minister in the tenure of one month announced at the press conference are to amend the teacher transfer procedure to ensure that disabled and sick teachers can be transferred to more convenient locations, subjects that cannot be included in the curriculum, including yoga, life sciences, disaster management, and other skills should be included in the guidelines for extracurricular activities and implemented compulsorily. To keep universities free from partisanship, a board of trustees should be formed and legal arrangements should be made to select the chancellor through the same trustees and it has been decided that if TU does not make the results public within three months of the exam, the grant will be withheld, mentioned the news.
Other decisions that were carried by the media are to form immediately a task force to restructure the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) and ensure that it can produce competent human resources, to make scientific research and innovation in the NAST productive, and to form immediately a task force to conduct necessary reforms and restructuring to attract talented Nepalis and enable the organization to function effectively. Similarly, it has been decided to immediately appoint the vacant posts of the Service Commission officials at Sanskrit University as per the rules.
The aura of a decisive post and the rush to show off one's work make it difficult for people to keep quiet. Therefore, as soon as reaching the position and the urge immerge to give instructions to the subordinates in the name of monitoring. Therefore, as soon as reaching the position, the urge emerge to monitor and give instructions subordinates. But the process and place for such instructions and decisions are determined by the law. Its proper use determines the success of the officeholder. Long-term practice also socializes it and creates social pressure to make decisions. Our society has not been able to fundamentally break free from dictatorship. Employees are accustomed to it and are also the bearers of its continuity. On the same day of appointment, they submit the file to sign to make a decision. From that very first moment, he begins to fall into the trap of bureaucracy. It doesn't mean not to trust employee but also doesn't mean that you have to sign a file like the omniscient one. The media has also shown its character of aggrandizing power as soon as it takes office treating as omniscient. The inability to resist such things has far-reaching symbolic significance.
But consulting former Minister Bhattarai (news below), helping to build shelters during disasters, and explaining that friends had covered the expenses of their daughter's education are good efforts. It shows him to have listened to the people and considered their side. Making the report of the Tribhuvan University (TU) Land and Immovable Property Search Committee was another welcome move by the Minister.
Considering that it is not possible to fix all the problems of ministry in his short tenure, if he prioritizes some issues or areas of work that can be implemented in the time he has, and focuses on the issues, results will come and the minister's work will be visible. But so far, Minister Pun's style (apart from staying in the office) has not been different from the working style of previous ministers.
Former Education Minister Bidya Bhattarai has given Minister Pun 30-point suggestions on the work she started when she was a minister and what needs to be done in the future, there was the news. In the suggestion, Bhattarai has included the plans, works, and directives initiated during her tenure.
After the topic of his daughter being educated abroad at an expensive fee surfaced on social media, Education Minister Pun also clarified on social media that his friends and associates are helping him as needed in raising his family and educating his children.
Those rescued after the flood that hit the settlement during Dashain were placed in schools in the Kathmandu Valley. As per the instructions of MoEST Pun, the Education and Human Resource Development Center has issued a press release requesting schools can be used as emergency shelters if the community is in immediate need of relief and protection and school Head Teacher and teachers should remain safe and participate in relief, rescue, and disaster management activities in coordination with local levels, security agencies, and the community.
Schools and society complement each other. In Nepali society, the construction of schools has a history of starting from the community. With the new education system, the relationship between the community and the school has been broken as schools became less and less community-owned and more government-controlled. The option of using schools as shelters during times of crisis in the community has helped to bring closer the increasingly distant relationship between society and schools. This seemingly ordinary incident has sent a message that society and school complement each other. On top of that, the call from the ministerial level to make schools a shelter in times of crisis in society seemed to act as a connecting thread to the increasingly distant relationships.
Minister Pun has said that the process has been taken forward to appoint in the university positions which were vacant due to the rift to share the position in the previous government and no one's will be heard in the process. The news stated that 10 vacant positions at Nepal Open University and 7 senators at Shaheed Dashrath Chand University of Health Sciences were appointed without any political pressure.
Education Minister Pun has initiated discussions to separate the Ministry of Science and Technology from the Ministry of Education and create a separate ministry. The news mentioned that there was a discussion about the benefits of having work related to science, technology, innovation, information technology, water and meteorology carried out through the new ministry.
There is a long history of the Ministries of splitting and merging including this one. In many cases, there are political (personal is political!) reasons. No systematic approach appears to have been taken to cluster the themes and constitute the ministries. There is no culture of handing and taking over process of function other than clearing the dues. Theme of Education is big one and there are others that have less volume of work based on government expenditure. Sometimes, youth and sports have been added while in other occasions, Culture has been combined while it is science and technology now. Even if there was some effort, there is no institutional memory of the government.
Education Ministry is reduced to educational administration ministration – it forgets that it has also to educate the government and itself! Mr Pun could commission a study of the clustering of the ministries not just one so that it can benefit widely. Else it will be perceived that he wants to split the Ministry as he does not want to administer education portfolio for the lack of his experience and interest (even if he is an education graduate. He could also put his reflections to higher level decision making about his experience of his graduate studies in Education Faculty.
Ratopati reported that a delegation from the Nepal Teachers Federation has drawn attention to the MoEST Mr. Pun to implement the agreements reached between Government and them in the past.
It is good to have continuity from the past. At the same time, both the teachers and the government should understand that this is a post-revolt government. It is not compelled to carry the burden of all due undue decisions made by all the past governments. It can put a completely new ceiling for negations. If GenZ spirit is carried, the anguish to past governments does not exclude the teachers.
There was report that teachers and employees of Chandrapur Municipality in Rautahat have been deprived of their salaries and allowances even during Dashain. Similarly, due to internal disputes and administrative problems in the 12 local levels of Dhanusha, teachers have not been able to receive their salaries and allowances since July.
As schools had to be closed due to the cold, all exams were completed by the end of October and vacation was granted, so annual exams were conducted in schools within the rural municipality on Tihar festival, the news quoted Pema Wangchen Gurung, coordinator of the education committee of Shey-Phoksundo rural municipality.
The news reported that out of 13,910 old partial students who participated in the grade enhancement exams for Grade 11, 9,456 passed.
Students are learning useful life skills, including weaving straw mats, coding robots, and making invitation cards from waste paper in Makawanpur Bal Vidya Sadan in Harnamadi, Hetauda Sub-metropolitan City. The school said that knowledge from textbooks alone will not make people competent and capable in the current situation, the news published.
After 14,700 answer sheets of CTEVT were burned during the Gen-G revolt, diploma, certificate level and pre-diploma level exams are being conducted from November 4.
Similarly, TU has decided to conduct re-examinations after the answer sheets of 652 students were burnt and destroyed at three examination centers during the Gen-G revolt.
The Ministry of Education has made public the report of the Tribhuvan University (TU) Land and Immovable Property Search Committee. The report has indicated that out of 265.5 Hectare (Ha) of land of Tribhuvan University, 129 Ha of land has been encroached upon. The report stated that approximately 94 Ha of land in the Kirtipur premises has been encroached upon and embezzled, and that 35 Ha of land outside Kirtipur area has been encroached upon.
Similarly, the report points out that 21 organizations and groups have been encroaching and occupying approximately 43 Ha of land in Kirtipur.
The report states that the then Prime Minister, Education Minister, and officials are responsible for the failure to protect the land of TU. The report mentioned that the land was provided under the government's direction, the news quoted to construction of the Republic Pillar, BP Planetarium and Observatory, Agriculture and Horticulture Center, Ayurveda Research and Training Center, Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board. Similarly, Metropolitan Police Circle Kirtipur, Nepal Teachers Association, Global IME Bank, Lions Club International's Blood Transfusion Center, Nepal Cricket Association, Radha Swamy, etc. have also been using TU's land.
Onlinekhabar news portal reported that various organizations are trying to create fake documents and bring them in their own names. The news, citing the report of the Land and Immovable Property Search Committee, stated that Laboratory Secondary School has attempted to grab approximately 109 ropanis of land belonging to TU and bring it under its own name and the laboratory is occupying the land despite repeated letters from TU asking it to vacate it. The investigation committee has recommended that the CIAA and Central Investigation Beuro (CIB) investigate those who have occupied Tribhuvan University's land.
The Department of Health, in collaboration with Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh and Kirtipur Eye Hospital, selecting schools at least one from every ward of Kathmandu Metropolitan City studying in grades 1-10 in public schools, 11,637 students were screened from 20 June to 21 July, 1,260 students have been found to have vision problems, the news published by the Onlinekhabar.
In 2014, due to a dispute between the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party over the Rupakot Basic School and Bajagad School in Hima Rural Municipality of Jumla, the school was operated in two locations, but now teaching and learning has started in one location. Since the local government has also been unable to resolve the dispute, a meeting of the school's parents before Dashain has decided to operate the school in an integrated manner in Dandachakha.
Although the government has decided not to hire temporary or contract employees at all levels except for approved positions, the decision does not apply to teachers.
It was reported that the Ullens School suffered a loss of Rs 1.25 billion due to vandalism and arson that occurred the day after the Gen-Z uprising. Parents of students studying in the school have demanded action against those who vandalized and looted the school.
Of course, no matter how justified the anger, seeking change through physical damage cannot be considered good. The fact that this school is spending so much time, energy, and even a certain amount of money on defense indicates that something is not quite right. Once, a dental student convinced his friend to be model for his practical exam. He went in the hope of getting a chance to have his teeth cleaned. During the exam, he was asked to have one of his friends troublesome teeth cleaned. The tooth was cleaned until it was shined, but because another examinee was coming, the examinee was unable to clean his friend's all teeth. The other teeth of that friend remained dirty. The story of this school also seems like 'shined' teeth.
No civilized citizen would support the destruction of physical property.The high-minded thinkers and investors involved here are the ones who should consider how the other 31 teeth would feel about that clean tooth, although it's not like they didn't think to clean the other teeth as well. Whether, its education or wealth, the gap causes tension in society. Even cleaning one tooth is not a bad thing, but when public discontent sets in, laws become like a leaf. The Deuba family's involvement may only be for immediate reasons. It would be good if everyone could take this as a wake-up call, rather than feeling like they are being ignored for the damage that has been done. When it came to the consequences that private schools could bring, it reached the point of calling the police after private school supporters threatened to physically attack professors.
There was the news that four people, one from Taiwan, one from India, one from the Nordics, and one from America, have started teaching at Kathmandu University's (KU) School of Education. According to news reports quoting KU spokesperson Uddhav Pyakurel, more than 450 foreign professors applied for the KU call for applications for foreign professors.
Krishna Sharma and Kiran Dahal, in an article for Kantipur, have examined the reasons why universities have failed to become centers of learning. Basanta Acharya wrote suggestions for CTEVT reforms in the Onlinekhabar. Prem Bahadur Thapa wrote about the two-year child development program. Deepika Sharma wrote that it is necessary to update the curriculum in line with changing technology and times, as Gen-Z prefers concise, creative, and experiential learning rather than formal and lengthy processes. Bhuvaneshwar Sharma of Chandragiri wrote the Letter to the Editor expressing new hope after Mahavir Pun became the Minister of Education.
Purpose of this news review is to classify and synthesize the educational content of the week and provide objective comments from the point of view of social justice and creative pedagogy including the environment. It is aimed to the policy makers and stakeholders to help make informed decisions. In this joint effort of the Center for Educational Policies and Practices (CEPP) and EduKhabar, material from daily newspapers - Kantipur, Gorkhapatra and The Himalayan Times, online news portals - Online Khabar, Setopati and Ratopati and the 8 o'clock news of Nepal Television and 7 o'clock news of Himalaya Television is summarized and presented with commentary on relevant issues. We have covered the contents from 20 Sept-24 Oct 2025 in this issue and this often is the translated version of Nepali edition. Due to festivities, this is month long and some comments have been repetitive from the past - The Editor.
Read this analysis in Nepali :
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