विहीबार, २२ साउन २०८२
The Commission for the Investigation of the Abuse of Authority (CIAA)'s interest in the appointment of the head teacher; NPABSON's statement to remove the provision of providing scholarships by private schools in the School Education Bill and maintaining the provision allowing schools to be operated under companies; More than 70 percent of educational consulting companies are operating without registration and renewal, the news that the media gave priority last week.
Kathmandu - The CIAA has expressed concern over the irregularity of appointing Head Teachers (HTs) in public schools by the School Management Committees (SMC) based on their political affiliations, there was the news. The commission has written to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, warning them to follow the prevailing legal provisions when appointing HTs. The Commission says that it has found that SMCs have been appointing HTs for the next term without competition. Following the Commission's concerns, the Education and Human Resource Development Center has issued instructions to fully comply with the education regulations while appointing HTs through the Education Development and Coordination Unit of all districts, mentioned the news. Rule 93 under Clause 15 of the Education Regulations, 2003, provides for the appointment of HTs in public schools. The regulations provide for the appointment of HTs in public schools by SMC recommending them to the District Education Office (currently the Education Development and Coordination Unit) along with the necessary documents. However, there is a provision that the SMC must recommend the appointment of the HT by holding a public competition from among the permanent teachers working in the school. Teachers selected through competition can be appointed as the HT for a term of five years. However, there is a provision that the same teacher should not be appointed as the HT for a second term without open competition.
It is understood that the SMC officials (especially the Chair) are taking partisan interests of the political parties they are affiliated with in the appointment of HTs to lead the school. It appears that party interests in schools have played a significant role in the decline of the quality of public school education. It appears that this has happened due to SMCs formed in partisan interests. These Committees appease their own political parties by providing protection to party-affiliated teachers and staff. This has damaged academic quality of public school and played a role in ruining the public education system itself.
Ultimately, the main reason for this situation is indeed the lack of demand for quality education in public schools or pressure for it. When there is pressure for quality education, neither does anyone want to become SMC member, nor does become its chairperson or want to appoint even the head teacher without capability on the basis of party affiliation. The main reason politics is playing a role now in schools is because those with deep interest in education have their and relatives children are studying in private schools. In public schools, even those responsible for the school show little interest for its improvement. If you send all your children to private schools, schools will become nothing more than a source of employment and benefit – it’s obvious.
Despite repeated discussions on controversial issues regarding the School Education Bill (SEB), which is believed to have reached to its final stages, no consensus has been achieved in many issues. The Nepal Teachers' Federation (NTF) has warned of strong protests if the Bill is not passed by August 6, the news is also published this week.
The National Private and Boarding Schools Association (N-PABSON) published a statement to make pressure to remove the provision of providing 15 percent scholarships by private schools in the SEB and maintaining the provision allowing schools to be operated under companies.
The essence of the Constitution is to strengthen the public sector to implement the provision that the Constitution has made education as a fundamental right. The High-Level National Education Commission formed in 2019 also reminded this provision of the constitution and suggested that it is necessary to convert profitable private investment in school education into trusts. Recommending that the country's entire education system be run on a single model as non-profit, the commission suggested converting private investment in school education into service-oriented trusts within 10 years. The government had registered the SEB in Parliament on 13 September 2023, that proposed banning for-profit private schools as per the Education Act, 1971 (8th Amendment), and providing that new schools should be opened under a Trust (Guthi) and that existing schools could be remain under the company. Most lawmakers had filed an amendment to the bill to convert for-profit private schools into Trusts.
However, Prime Minister Oli has been making public statements that private schools remain in accordance with the Company Act and not be forced to go to Guthi. He has been criticized for making such statements under the influence of private school investors. The statement issued by the organization of private school owners appears to be precisely aimed at obstructing the bill.
Read our previous comments on this : Private Investors Put the Bill in Limbo
Due to the absence of education officers at eight Municipalities in Gulmi, there have been problems with the performance of these municipalities and approval of teachers' leave. In the absence of Education Officer, the Heads of local bodies has assigned teachers of their choice to work in the municipality and give the responsibility of the head of the education branch to a technical assistant, mentioned the news. Malika, Rurukshetra, Gulmidurbar, Chhatrakot, and Kaligandaki Rural Municipalities (RM) have not had any education officers for the past five years!
Kamal RM of Jhapa District Of Koshi Province has made public the details of the educational institutions where its municipal representatives, public school teachers, and government employees educate their children. Out of 414 people's representatives, community teachers, and government employees, 67 have their children educated in public schools, 99 in private schools, and 248 of them have their children completed school level, some have obtained higher education abroad and some are single, the news mentioned. (If we factorize current school goers the percentage stands at public 40 and private 60% percent. Ed.)
In an article for Gorkhapatra, Nawaraj Hekka wrote that while the potential of AI in education is immense, teachers need continuous, intensive, and multifaceted training to use it responsibly and effectively.
Tribhuvan University (TU) Rector Prof. Dr. Khadga KC and Registrar Prof. Dr. Kedar Prasad Rijal have not been able to enter their offices for two months due to an obstruction by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) affiliated student organization. Work related to various academic, administrative, and financial matters has been halted as officials are not allowed to enter their offices. The biggest problem has been to students who take equivalency, the news quoted. According to the news, the student organization has demanded that the decision of the TU Executive Council to appoint associate professors through the fast track to be corrected and that the fees charged by various departments under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences be reduced from students.
Prof. Dr. Krishna Kant Parajuli has wrote an article stating that the first responsibility of the University Grants Commission is to remove policy barriers by prioritizing quality measurement of educational programs, transparency, international practices, and inter-university collaboration.
A team led by the Central Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and Far Western in-charge Lekhraj Bhatta has demanded that Prime Minister KP Oli integrates 13 campuses as constituent campuses under the Far Western University, the news published.
The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection monitored 100 Educational Consultancies and found that 70 percent of them were operating without registration and renewal. According to the news published in Kantipur, quoting the department's Director General that most of the consultancies are operating without registration and renewal and have been found sending students abroad. Department spokesperson informed that ‘fines ranging from US$ 356 to 712 have been imposed on unregistered consultancies’, quoted the news.
The Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) has started the process of enrolling students in Certificate Level (PCL) Nursing, General Medicine (HA), Pharmacy and other subjects without entrance exams. The Kantipur reported that CTEVT has removed the entrance exam system since fewer students than the prescribed number were enrolled. Starting this year, the list will be determined based on the merit list as per the Admissions Guidelines-2025 based on the marks obtained by the students while passing SEE and SLC.
The news this week also published that 17 first-year PCL students from Jiri Technical College under CTEVT failed when they were assessed for 40 marks instead 60 on practical exams.
Currently, the Free Student Union (FSU) elections are being held in affiliated and constituent campuses only of TU, but 16 student organizations have demanded elections of FSU in other universities as well, the news published.
The establishment of more than 1,000 Cambridge International Schools across South Asia marks a significant step forward in providing world-class education across the region, according to Cambridge University Press and Assessment. The Himalayan daily reported that many schools in Nepal have started adopting the 'Cambridge Pathway' for students aged 3 to 19.
Nepal’s parliamentary committee is divided on the provisions in forthcoming federal School Education Bill if schools should be allowed to run in affiliation with foreign boards.
The news does not mention what benefits Nepal has received from promoting this educational program. The publication of news about the spread of foreign programs in schools seems also has intension at a time when the School Education Bill is under discussion in the Education Committee of Parliament and a consensus has been made to include a provision banning the operation of foreign educational programs at the school level. Therefore, the question must also be raised as to why the media gave space to news stories advertising such a specific educational program.
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 26 July - 1 Aug 2025 in this issue - The Editor.
Read this analysis in Nepali : प्रअ नियुक्तिमा अख्तियारको चासो
Read last week's content : Last week in
प्रतिक्रिया