Kathmandu - The Education, Health and Information Technology Committee (EHITC) of the House of Representatives has begun discussion on the report prepared by a Subcommittee formed by EHITC to make consensus on the School Education Bill (SEB), the news got priority in the media last week. The Subcommittee made consensus on several issues of the SEB in 45 days, including the demands made by teachers. However, the Subcommittee submitted its report without making a consensus on whether the private schools should be turned into public or private Trusts or remain as commercial Companies, and whether or not to include Early Childhood Development Centers (ECDC) in the school structure, there was the news. Discussing the report, the Committee Members expressed the view that the SEB should be prepared based on the report.

Subcommittee Coordinator MP Chhabilal Bishwakarma told the media about the report submitting to the EHITC despite the lack of consensus on some issues due to the shortage of time. The Subcommittee proposed abolishing the final exam at Class 10 (School Education Examination, SEE), creating a separate position of Head Teacher based on the number of students, the level of the school and other needs, abolishing District Education Development and Coordination Unit, creating Educational Quality Assurance Authority, arrangement for ‘relief’ and higher secondary teachers permanent in a ratio of 60:40 percent meaning that 40% those teachers have to face a competition to become permanent. Similarly, the ruling and opposition lawmakers have also agreed to enact a law that would allow public school teachers to be dismissed from their positions if they become members of a political party or an organization affiliated with a party or participate in political activities.

Nepal Teachers Federation (NTF) warns of going to the street again, angered by the report, there was the news. Chairperson Laxmi Kishore Subedi says the report has forgotten previous agreements between the government and the Federation, the news mentioned.

There was report that the NTF has expressed dissatisfaction on the proportion of internal competition for temporary teachers, calculation of service from temporary period for pension purposes, stating it as an attack on the professional security of teacher and staffs by abolishing of the Education Development and Coordination Unit in the district, paving way for arbitrary transfer of teachers at the local level, by disregarding the provision of professional security and service facilities for school staff and ECD teachers. Similarly, the Federation has concluded that SEE is necessary for educational quality as the legacy of the 92-year-old School Leaving Certificate (SLC) will end if the House of Representatives passes the bill.

Education, Science and Technology Minister (MoEST) Mr. Raghuji Pant said that it would not be appropriate to make hasty comments as the subcommittee report on the School Education Bill has yet to be discussed and some issues have not yet been finalized, the news mentioned.

There was news that the Subcommittee without making consensus on the issue of whether or not to transform private schools in the Guthi (Trust), however, has agreed on the matter of  the foreign names of private schools should be changed, fees should be made public two months before the academic session, the specified scholarship should be provided, making from primary health care to playgrounds should be mandatory, Government standards regarding school establishment, fees, and student-to-teacher ratios should followed. Members of the EHITC have sought the government's opinion on private schools during discussions on the School Education Bill although there was no clear response from the government. 

After the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection began monitoring the fees charged by private schools, private school organizations PABSON and N-PABSON have protested and appealed to the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies to stop the monitoring, the news published. Himalayan TV reported that the monitoring was stopped under the Minister of Industry's instructions soon after the monitoring had started.

It is clear that the School Education Act has not been formulated for vested interests of the NTF and private school operators. Private investment in education appears to be a crucial issue in implementing the provision that education is compulsory and free up to the basic level and free up to the secondary level, stipulated as a fundamental right in the Constitution. 

The NTF seems to be trying to overturn the Constitutional provision that gives authority to local governments to manage them. The drafting of the Education Act appears to be in jeopardy due to the unconstitutional protests by politically-backed and strongly unionized teachers. It seems that the promulgation of the Education Act has been pushed back as teachers' organizations and private investors in school education, who can influence political parties; focus on their own interests rather than the larger interests of the country. This is also made clear by the teachers' objections to the report submitted by the Parliamentary Subcommittee. Leaders of the major parties need to be serious about creating constitutionally compatible laws that focus on children's rights and learning. We certainly don't want just one set of Education Act.

Opposing the report of the Subcommittee formed to seek consensus on the bill will only delay the promulgation further. How long will the main political parties carry the shame of not being able to formulate an Act even in eight years that should have been formulated in two years? Ultimately, will we be persecuted wherever we go as citizens of such an indolent country or will we live as citizens of a capable country? 

The 62nd report of the AG shows that the number of teachers is high in the ratio of students in public schools, published the news. The 62nd report of the AG, published last week, highlighted the problems and contradictions in the education sector, mentioned in the news. The report shows the number of teachers in public schools in 6 Provinces is higher than in the ratio of students. The number of teachers in schools in all regions of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces is higher than the ratio of the number of students, however in Madhesh Province, the number of teachers is lower than in relation to the ratio of the students, shows the report. According to the report, there are 5.6 million students in public schools, 2.7 million in private schools, and 157 thousand in religious schools. According to statistics, there were 8 million students last year. 77 percent of public schools have 65 percent of students, while 20 percent of private schools have 32 percent of students. The report shows that private schools have increased the number of students by 1 percent compared to last year.

Similarly, 124 local Governments have spent Rs 279.9 million on Midday Meals without attendance records. The report shows that 151 local levels have purchased sanitary pads worth Rs 98.75 million, but these pads have not reached schools to use by girl students, as mentioned in the  news.

These statistics of teachers mentioned in the AG's report are different from the Center for Education and Human Resource Development (CEHRD). For some years now, there has been suspicion that the center is trying to portray a negative picture of public schools using statistics. When data is generalized, the picture it presents becomes different from reality. The officials of CEHRD have been advocating for reducing the number of schools by showing similar statistics at various public events, but they have not argued for the relocation of schools that are being merged or going to close to locations where the number of students has increased. Let's talk about the statistics on the student-teacher ratio in schools. All schools from 0-3, 0-5, or 0-8 are considered basic schools. In 0-3 level school in the hills, 70 students are considered good, but even though there are 2 teachers, the student-teacher ratio seems to be higher than the prescribed standards. But there is a shortage of teachers in terms of classrooms.

The number of 0-3 schools  to be the largest. When considering this level-by-level, it seems that the government standards for teacher-student ratios need to be reconsidered. Children studying in grades 0-3 cannot travel more than 20-30 minutes from home. Therefore, even amid decreasing population due to migration (until the population in those places is zero), there is a need to maintain those schools for the children living there. It seems that the question of how to manage teachers there needs to be considered in a creative way. The time has come to think in a new vein about the operation and management of public schools.

On the other hand, we urgently need to  consider a few alternatives to streamline the management of school education expenses. To end the situation where schools with students have no teachers and schools with teachers have no students, it seems that school mapping should be done, and schools at higher levels should be made residential to integrate scattered students. By concentrating resources that are scattered, it will also be easier for the state to improve the quality of education and increase the services and facilities provided to teachers. The  misunderstandings will arise between some municipalities if the school's service area is not defined. The effort should be to maintain a balance, not to increase the number of students in a limited number of schools and reduce them in others.

The fact that the number of students attending private schools has increased by 1 percent in the past year, according to the AG's report, also shows that public schools are shrinking and private schools are expanding. The report shows that a few years ago, it was said that a quarter of students go to  private schools, but now it has increased to a third. This suggests that if the quality of public schools is not improved immediately, we  will be heading towards a crisis. It appears that geographically and economically marginalized citizens are going to be deprived of their right to education too. In a country with such helpless and self-interested policymakers, the question is no longer whether to privatize or not, but how to reduce negative effects of privatization and save costs.  

On higher education front, the issues of encroached pieces of land in the name of Tribhuvan University (TU) have not been protected; the balance in the bank is 101 million less than the amount mentioned in the statement of the Office of the Controller of Examinations, Balkhu; It took TU for four hundred days to publish the exam results that were supposed to be published in a hundred days; TU's financial burden increased as professors adding unpaid leave to receive pension, the news mentioned the referring AG's report.

A three-member committee, coordinated by MoEST Mr. Raghuji Pant, comprising National Planning Commission member Geeta Adhikari and Ministry's Secretary Dr. Deepak Kafle, has been formed to recommend the Vice-Chancellor of TU, the news quoted.

There was a report that the House of Representatives has passed the Shaheed Dashrath Chand University of Health Sciences Bill with amendments.

After the NTF's protest ended, teachers of Surunga Municipality in Saptari, Malangwa Municipality in Sarlahi, Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality (RM) in Dhading, Gajuri RM, and Solu Dudhkunda Municipality in Solukhumbu were transferred.

The National Examination Board has expedited the examination of answer sheets for the SEE, which was halted due to the teachers' strike, there was the news. 
The School Employees Council has postponed its protest programs following a Circular from the MoEST. They had been protesting, saying that the employees' demands had not been addressed in the agreement reached between the NTF and the Government, the news mentioned. 

There were reports that some Basic Schools (0-8 grades) have closed due to the lack of students, some schools have seen a decrease in students, and some schools have seen an increase in student numbers due to better arrangements for teaching, drinking water, playgrounds, and student-friendly toilets. 

The number of public schools has decreased and the number of private schools has increased in Karnali Province. 

The Sudurpaschim Provincial Government has selected 32 public schools in 16 constituencies in nine districts as model schools, the news quoted.

Onlinekhabar news portal continued to publish Feature Stories about good public schools. The features cover the reforms at Bhutandevi Secondary School (SS) in Makwanbur, Ratna Rajya SS in Sindhupalchowk, Jugal Rural Municipality, Tulsipur SS in Dang, Janata SS in Janakpur, and Kanti SS in Butwal.

Students are attracted to studies after a separate room with a place to store pens, paper and clothes was created at home as part of the Study Corner program in Bardiya and Palungtar Municipality in Gorkha has hired a 'spare teacher' to ensure that teaching is not affected while teachers are on maternity leave, the news covered. Similarly, the National Census 2078 data states that 8.1 percent of Dalit children are not attending school, the news published.

A meeting of the Nepal Relief Teachers National Committee held in Mahottari district has formed a National Working Committee under the Chairmanship of Bishnu Khatri, there was the news.
The news of the amount flown away for Nepali students' studies at educational institutions abroad and comment on the scene of Prime Minister KP Oli sitting in the chair while the newly appointed President, Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of Vidushi Yogmaya Himalayan Ayurveda University were sworn in has been published with comment on as unusual and objectionable in Kantipur daily.

The MoEST has stopped issuing NOCs to Korea. The reason for the stoppage is said to be the suffering of Nepali students there, quoted the news.

Madhesh Province Chief Minister Satish Kumar Singh said that while monitoring public schools, not all the students enrolled were present in the classrooms, private school students were also enrolled in public schools, and classes were not conducted regularly, there was a lack of toilets and sanitation and that private schools were operating without permission were found, the news published.

The police office could not be relocated, which has been operating in the old building of Adarsh Bal SS in Sundar Bazaar, Lamjung for the past five years.

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 at 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 10-23 May 2025 in this issue - The Editor.

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