Primarily, the news of the Teachers' Federation and for-profit school owners have launched street protest to reverse the agreed issues the Parliamentary Committee finalized by the School Education Bill, which has been under discussion for two years was covered in the media last week.

Kathmandu - The Nepal Teachers Federation (NTF) and private school owners have threatened to go on strike following the School Education Bill (SEB) was passed by the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee of the House of Representatives and launched street protests, there was the news. The NTF has staged a sit-in at the central offices of the main political parties, while organizations affiliated with private school owners have taken to the streets to protest. The Federation has protested, demanding that 75 percent of temporary teacher positions should be filled through internal and 25 percent through open competition, the amount to be given under the 'Golden Handshake' to those who fail in the internal competition should be announced, the Bill should include issues such as facilities and job security for teachers and staff of private schools. The NTF has launched protest against the provision of transferring teacher positions to the Municipalities according to the provision on Schedule 8 of the Constitution, the local level has the sole authority over secondary school education, the news mentioned.

Private school investors have launched a protest against the provision of “gradual conversion of private investment for-profit schools into non-profits” and the provision of ‘full’ scholarships. Organizations affiliated with private investors, including PABSON, N-PABSON, HISAN, APAN, and others, have held protest programs, the news quoted.

The Committee has passed the Bill with provisions that 
•    SEE will be operated under the Province, 
•    teacher promotions will be based on internal competition, seniority, and performance and efficiency, 
•    the age of entry into teacher service is 35 years and 39 years for women, 

Head Teachers are prohibited from being members of the Teachers' Federation, preventing teachers to be involved in political activities, two years of Early Child Development Education, to manage temporary teachers by 60 percent internal and 40 external competition, anyone who has studied any subject can obtain a teacher's license, but they must undergo training, for-profit schools to be run under companies or educational trusts, and they should be gradually made non-profit, for-profit school to give at least 10 percent ‘full’ scholarship and private schools with hostel facilities should provide 3 percent hostel facilities of hostel seats under the full scholarships, District Education Coordination Unit to remain, and Educational Quality Authority to be formed, the Committee has passed a provision to include the Nepal Teachers Federation including School Management Committee, and Parents' Association in the education mechanism, mentioned the news.

Although the bill was passed by the Committee, the CPN (Maoist Center) and the Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) wrote a note of dissent demanding the full scholarship should include hostel facilities, uniforms and other facilities existing in the school, the news quoted.

A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the Teachers' Federation's protest. The news reported that Arjun Shah and Rahul Shah, law students at Chakraborty Havi Education Academy, have filed a writ petition in the court.

The School Education Bill seeks to strengthen regulation along with permitting the operation of for-profit schools and giving local levels the means to regulate by making laws, Setopati news portal published.

Private school investors have warned Kathmandu University (KU) to terminate the agreement for speaking out against private schools in the media by KU School of Education Dean Prof. Dr. Balchandra Luitel. KU issued a statement stating that Luitel's statements were personal and not the official views of the university, the news published.

Former President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, speaking at a PABSON event, said that even though the Constitution provides for the responsibility of secondary education to be given to the local level, for-profit school owners do not want to be governed under the local level, there was the news.

While discussing the School Education Bill, which was passed by the Parliamentary Committee and submitted to Parliament, education experts have expressed dissatisfaction over the provisions in the Bill that are against the Constitution, published the news. In the discussion, Dr. Prem Phyak argued that attempts were being made to destroy public schools, that there were problems in transferring schools, and that merging schools would harm students who could not attend school. Former Dean of the Faculty of Education, Tribhuvan University, Prof. Dr. Chitra Bahadur Budhathoki said that the bill is worse than the 1972 Education Act. Experts expressed dissatisfaction of the provision without education degrees can be become teachers. Prof. Dr. Vinay Kumar Kusiat said that 70 percent of the Bill to be made to benefits the private sector. Prof. Dr. Bidyanath Koirala has commented that according to Schedule 8 of the Constitution, the local level has not been given full powers and that it is a crime not to call teachers those working in ECD, mentioned the news. Professor Susan Acharya said there is a contradiction between the Constitution and the Bill.

One layer of the curtain of the drama of the School Education Bill is dropped, where the villains can be seen ruling the stage, and behind in the background, the commotion of their own side can still be heard. Those who should be heroes are  sitting on thrones, gratified to be able to help the villains. Even a decade after the country was converted to a federal system, everyone is wondering whether the incompetence shown by the state by operating the education sector based on the same framework from the Panchayat era will end, vested interest groups have stepped forward to further their interests. Even before the Committee's report was presented in the House, vested interests have played to keep the provisions in their favor. There is a continuous effort to remove the remaining provisions in the Bill that concern the interests of children and citizens. 

The ruling coalition parties have sided with vested interests and made decisions in their favor. It is regrettable that the government itself prioritizes the interests of vested interests, thereby thwarting the rights of children and citizens. Parliament needs to make decisions that focus on children's learning rather than influenced by the threats of agitation. The Parliament and MPs should seize the opportunity to streamline governance for the right of children to equitable and quality education as envisioned in the constitution. Otherwise, history and future generations will condemn them.

The Teachers Federation's attempt to curtail local government powers in a way that violates the Constitution is against close monitoring of teachers' work and confirms that teachers are not fulfilling their responsibilities. The leadership of the NTF, formed through collusion with political parties and leaders, appears to be trying to keep public education in chaos and kill the chances of reform. It appears that the NTF is trying to promote for-profit private schools by making public schools weaker. It is a sad state of affairs that the ruling coalition and the government are pursuing the vested interests of party cadres in the guise of teachers and funders in the guise of for-profit schools, regardless of the dire consequences that may come in the future, even though the consequences of weak public education are apparent.

Recent developments have made it clear that the two 'Gangs' of Nepal's school education (public school teachers and private investors in schools) have prevented the School Education Act from being passed for a long time. It is old trend to oppose policies and regulations that intend to regulate public school teachers and for-profit private schools. As the bill was being passed in the Committee, both of these forces, which have access to political parties and are highly organized, came forward to voice their opposition to public education. It is sad state that the main leaders of the main political parties stepped forward to protect both of these forces. To please private school investors and public school teachers, the bill has been passed with the support of major political parties, including provisions that go against the provisions of the Constitution regarding public schools and education. The threats and activities of the Teachers' Federation and private school investors have made it clear that they are working to remove even some of the remaining positive notional provisions. It is a sad state of affairs that even members of Parliament, who have sovereign powers, are unable to maintain the momentum of public education reforms that ensure children's learning and the access of ordinary citizens amidst this tug-of-war.

Pro. Dr. Min Bahadur Bista wrote in Kantipur that a strong public education with equal participation of all children in the country is the cornerstone of democracy, progress, social solidarity, equality, inclusiveness, and sustainable peace. Bista's article 'Public Education: Everyone Means Everyone' analyzes how private and public schools divide society into two classes, educationally and culturally, one class that has 'special opportunities' and the other class that has 'limited opportunities'. Only when schools remain a shared public space of society can children from different backgrounds have shared experiences in the same classroom, playground, and school, and a sense of equality develops. Such experiences will build mutual understanding and a sense of equality among citizens in the future, the article states. The article mentioned that when education itself creates Class Divisions, social unity, tolerance, and democratic values weaken. In the article, the elite class is not the only one who leaves public education and goes to private, but it inspires others to leave as well. Prof. Bista's article concludes that public schools become politically weak after the elite class leaves, and that when they are politically weak, they lack of access to necessary policymaking and resources. (An example can be seen in Nepal itself – Ed.)

The Nepal Law Commission has prepared a draft bill to integrate and amend the provisions of eight other existing acts related to various universities, including the University Grants Commission Act 1994. 

There was news that the No Objection Certificate (NOC) branch located in Sanothimi under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has been replaced with a new set of employees who have been there for 7-8 years. The Ministry has removed long-time employees from the branch after a Committee formed to investigate concluded that there was unethical act at the NOC branch, the news quoted. 

Tribhuvan University (TU) has decided to revise the curriculum implemented at the postgraduate level only six months ago, after serious negligence was observed in the development of the Nepali subject curriculum offered at the postgraduate level at TU. TU reached this decision because it appears that the curriculum was created to be motivated by the interests of certain individuals and groups, Gorakhapatra daily published the news. 

A four-point agreement has been reached between the student organization close to the CPN (Maoist Center), which has launched an agitation demanding adjustment in the fees of four departments that have been upgraded to the central department of TU, and the TU administration. With the agreement, the 34-day protest was withdrawn, the news stated. 

TU has always been subject to lockouts, vandalism, corruption, political squabbles, and abuse of power and authority, Kantipur reported that this trend has been resurgent since the beginning of 2082. One group after another has been blocking university officials from entering the university and due to continuous acts of vandalism, lockouts, obstructions, etc., educational institutions that should be centers of knowledge, skills, free thought, equality, and social change are starting to look like centers of muscle power, the news mentioned. 

A 12-year-old boy from Khanigaun, Baityeshwor Rural Municipality-3, Dolakha, was beaten by the School Principal resulting in injuries. Ajit Kumar Chaudhary, the Principal of Ankura English Boarding School, brutally beat a student studying in grade 5. When the student's throat and both thighs were examined, reports of blood clots and torn flesh were received, the news came quoting the victim's father, Jit Bahadur Raut. 

Prof. Dr. Krishnakant Parajuli has wrote an article in Gorkhapatra on the topic of community school management. The gist of the article is that it is the duty of the state to make public (community) schools an alternative to private schools, and public schools an alternative to public schools.Similarly, in an article published in Gorkhapatra daily titled Child-Friendly Practical Education by Laxmidhar Guragai, it is mentioned that children should not be criticized, but encouraged, and should not be compared with others.  The article states that since each child's knowledge, skills, interests, and abilities are different, even small progress should be praised openly.

Gulmi's Musikot Municipality has advertised 15 times to recruit secondary level mathematics teachers under federal grants, but has not got any applications. The news stated that although the municipality's education department has been trying to fill the posts of English, Mathematics, and Science teachers for the past 2 years, due to the lack of teachers, lower-level teachers are forced to conduct math and science classes. The teacher shortage is caused by factors such as the unsustainability of Federal grants, reduced service facilities including salaries and allowances, fewer opportunities such as tuition for additional income in village schools, and after getting appointment as teachers and then transferring them to other government services for permanent employment, mentioned the news. 

Shortage of teachers now becoming a problem every where at every level. This is a result of changing social values and compensation of perks against the demand of the job. Teacher is no more only a source of knowledge and does not command as much respect as in the past as the value of knowledge is overswept by money. There are other professions that give you money, name and fame. Every teacher as the parents cannot be famous and cannot earn money, the whole of the global, national community needs to pay attention to compensate them both ways: give them respect and perks that oftern reinforce each other but above all attention. How much we talk about different sources of knowledge, role of teacher (whatever name you may give, and of the school) is not over ! 

The 'School at Home' program, run by the Ratauli Youth Club of Mahottari in Jaleshwar Municipality and Pipara Rural Municipality, provides care and reading practice to children with physical disabilities at home. Children with physical and intellectual disabilities are now learning to read, write, draw, and play  board games such ‘Ludo’  with regular practice in the teachers' supervision, quoted the news.

Birgunj Metropolitan City has decided to close all public and private schools, coaching centers, and institutes after the cholera outbreak was not brought under control, the news came. According to the news, the school was closed for the first time on 24 and 25 August and for the second time from 27 to 29 August.

* Minor changes have been made in the content - Editor  

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 16-29 Aug 2025 in this issue - The Editor.

Read this analysis in Nepali : 

शिक्षक महासंघ धर्नामा, निजीका सञ्चालक सडकमा

विद्यालय शिक्षा विधेयकको पटाक्षेप : खलनायकहरुको जगजगी

Read last week's content : Last week in