Kathmandu - Ministry for Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) Minister Mahabir Pun has sent a letter of attention to teachers' organizations, affiliated to political parties and the Code of Conduct to be issued by the Election Commission prohibiting teachers even from participating in the activities of a political party - the news got priority last week. Provisions will be made to prevent teachers from engaging in electioneering for or against any political parties and candidates for the election of the members of the House of Representatives. In the draft election code of conduct sent by the Commission to all parties states that employees, professors, and teachers working in schools, colleges, or universities should not be engaged in or spread propaganda for or against any political party or candidate. They should refrain from activities such as inaugurations, surveys, or prospections, or providing grants. Similarly, the Code has stated that teachers should not be allowed to use vehicles, buildings or other materials, programs, meetings or conferences held, or no canvassing should be carried out in favor or against any political party or a candidate. The Code of Conduct states that employees, professors, and teachers should not be transferred, promoted, or assigned to any position except for election work, the news mentioned.

The MoEST has issued a public notice stating that teachers, professors, and employees do not have the right to engage in partisan political activities curtailing the ethos of schools or universities that are the zones of peace. The Minister Pun emphasized their professional duties, moral obligations, conduct, and the sensitivity of the education sector stating that if ‘somebody is found to be carrying out such activities that are contrary to it will spare no effort to take action in accordance with the prevailing law’, quoted the news.

Nepal Teachers Federation objected to the Minister Pun’s instructions to make the Federation non-political, another news came. Teachers' unions claim that the Minister Pun's directive is against the Constitution. Teachers Federation President Laxmi Kishore Subedi has urged the Minister to read Article 34 of the Constitution before going to bed, saying that he has not been reading the Education Act, Regulations and Constitution, the news quoted. Although no one can take away the rights granted by the constitution, the news came with the Minister's saying that the running of schools and universities should not be hindered and the future of students should not be compromised with the patronage of political parties. 

Section 14 of the Political Parties Act provides for members to join a party. The provision clearly states that teachers, professors, and employees cannot be members of political parties. The law made in agreement of political parties (at least by the majority), is clear on the issue, there is no need to look for an answer to the question of whether or not teachers can engage in party politics. Every minister has been threatening to take action if a teacher is found involved in politics or has joined a political party. The most talked about event happened when Ms Sumana Shrestha became the Minister. A list of more than eight hundred teachers who had renounced their party membership was also made public. According to the Patan High Court Order, action will be taken if a teacher engages in party politics, up to the dismissal from the post. When leaders of mainstream political parties become education ministers, this issue does not get much attention. When someone independent or belongs to a ‘new’ political party becomes a minister, there is a lot of noise around teachers’ political affiliation. 

Like every individual, teachers also have their own political opinions. It is a constitutional right to hold the opinions. Article 17, Clause 2 (c) of the Constitution of Nepal 2016 grants every Nepali the right to political freedom. Every citizen has the freedom to form or involve in a political party, but according to the law, some rights are suspended for having chosen (they may choose to do something else) a profession that receives a salary and allowance from the state treasury. It is clearly written in the laws created under this Constitution. Every responsible person should follow the law. Teachers also need to follow the law and be a role model for their students. Society expects teachers to play a non-political role. Teachers should be teachers of society, but not party activists or party teachers. 

But perhaps it is important for the 'apolitical' ministers or other stakeholders who are trying to pull teachers out of the partisan quagmire to understand that let or not to let the private schools run on a profit basis is more a political issue. If there are parents who can ask "Why aren't our children being taught properly?” no matter how much politics the teacher plays, they will be compelled to teach. Isn't it an even bigger problem if parents who can speak, policy and opinion makers all including teachers send their children to a private schools? Should we not pay attention to it?

Disillusioned with the teaching profession, a teacher from Surkhet left the job to go to Japan for remittance, the news came. 

It is difficult to understand why Nepal's media is so so much after making a negative image of public education. Otherwise, it doesn't seem like news with a photo of public school teacher being bed farewell should be given priority just for the fact that he is going to Japan for wage labor. People regardless of their profession, have been going abroad to earn more money. They can also be teachers working in private or public schools. The approximately 2,000 people who go abroad every day to earn money are not just people from this or that profession, but people from every sector and section of the society. When news of public school teachers going abroad is highlighted, it means more than an event, and the media is unaware that it gives a negative connotation of public education among the general public. Is not it discouraging general public to send their children to public schools? It certainly doesn't mean that they don't have the right to write the news they feel like. One wonders how the Minister would react on such a news!?

For postgraduate students, the American Bank M Power Financing has been providing educational loan facility US$ 100 thousand without collateral, to Nepali students to study in the USA. This facility don't have to face the hassle of mortgage to study, wrote the Ratopati Online news portal. 

At the outset, such a news may seem positive. But this raises various questions. One for example is how much education is commercialized, while the other is why such a company would want to invest in Nepali students? Of course, this also raises questions for Nepali banks: Why can't Nepali banks provide educational loans without collateral when a company as far as from USA can? You can't have a free lunch! It certainly worth pondering for policy makers. 

Kantipur Daily reported that the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has initiated an investigation into the encroachment and embezzlement of land at Tribhuvan University (TU). The government-formed Land and Immovable Property Search Committee 2024 has recommended action after pointing out that approximately 127 Hectare of TU land has been encroached upon, Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) spokesperson Rajendra Kumar Poudel said that the study and investigation have been initiated after obtaining a report from the ministry.

While TU is preparing to form a separate committee to bring back encroached land, Prime Minister Sushila Karki also inquired about the progress of the report's implementation in person with the university officials, the news came. 

Land of Sudurpaschim University in Kanchanpur is under encroachment, there was the news. University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Hemraj Pant says that three hundred bighas of land belonging to the Tikapur Multiple Campus, which is a campus of the university, have been encroached upon. The news mentioned that the land was encroached upon with the involvement of a political party. Education Minister Pun says he will form an investigation committee to study the alleged encroachment of land, quoted the news. 

Minister Pun has asked information from the relevant branch regarding the condition of land in schools and community learning centers (CLCs) across the country after complaints of land embezzlement of schools and community learning centers, the news came. 

The chairperson of the management committee of Bhubaneshwari Basic School in Indrawati Rural Municipality, Sindhupalchowk, Ramesh alias Khamsong Tamang, who assaulted Anjana Bhandari, the principal, has fled from the village. The news mentioned that he fled after a complaint was registered at the Area Police Office, Nawalpur.
The National Examination Board has published the results of the Grade 12 supplementary examination. The news reported that 73.41 percent of students have passed the supplementary examination. 

A work performance agreement has been signed between the Municipality and the school Head Teacher with the aim of improving the management of public schools and expanding access to quality education in Shuklaphanta Municipality of Kanchanpur. According to the agreement, the schools will have to develop and implement an annual work plan in accordance with the academic calendar determined by the Municipality. Each teacher should make arrangements to implement an annual work plan, unit plan, and daily lesson plan according to the subject they teach, mentioned the news.

Students are complaining that score sheets are not being prepared due to overcrowding. For a week, students have been flocking to the National Examination Board Examination Controller's Office (ECO) Grade 10 branch to get a score sheet that collates their score of repeated exams of certain subjects and shows overall score. Since students who have taken more than two exams do not have a GPA indicated on their mark sheets, the news mentioned. To be admitted to 11th grade, a minimum GPA of 1.6 is required. Since it takes some time to integrate students' grade sheets, ECO has asked students to fill out the registration form even if they do not have an integrated mark sheet in grade 11.

The news reported that Seema Yadav has been teaching for free regularly at the National Basic School in Dumari, Rajbiraj Municipality, Saptari for seven years. She started teaching in the same school since 2010 as a temporary teacher. Having failed the exam for permanency she was relieved of her job in 2018, However, she continues to teach without salary due to her passion for teaching, mentioned the news. 

Her passion for teaching is commendable. It is a good thing to have a volunteer spirit at the forefront of the teaching profession. Although the same cannot be said for her, there are many examples of teachers who are passionate about teaching but fail to pass the teacher's exam. This indicates that the examination system conducted by the Education Commission has not captured the passion of teachers. Knowledge alone is not enough to be a teacher. Stakeholders should seriously study such incidents.

Children from the hilly area of Bardaghat Municipality Ward No. 2 including Keyore Bhanjyang, Tilkeni, Damar, Sanghart, Bhorleni, etc. in West Nawalparasi have to walk for about an hour every day to get to their schools because of broken and dilapidated roads during the rainy season, there was the news.

Schools in Lhomanthang and Loghekar Damodarkunda rural Municipalities in Upper Mustang have migrated down due to increasing cold. With the onset of November, schools in the both rural municipalities are closed for four months for extreme cold, and teachers and staff also migrate with schools for mobile education, the news quoted. The school is conducting classes in and around Pokhara as per its annual schedule. Similarly, the monastic schools???? Charang Secondary School, Ghami Secondary School, Janajyoti Basic School, Ghiling, and others including monastery from Lo-Ghekar-Damodarkunda Rural Municipality, have also taken students to their preferred locations, mentioned the news. 

This news is often carried pitifully. The great opportunity of brining students down to the town and giving them a different experience is not mentioned. It may be difficult to manage boarding for younger students and cost could be an issue. Nonetheless. how they are taught is worth investigating. Second issue is about creating ‘livable’ classrooms in the winter by passive and active heating. With the expansion of electricity grids it should now be possible to run the school if a migrating school is a nuisance!

Solududhakunda Municipality in Solukhumbu has started the Numbur Technical School with an investment of US$ 247 thousand. At the Numbur Vocational Training Center, free tuition including meals, will be provided to 60 students in the fields of carpentry, plumbing, electrician, hotel management, and cooking. Operated with assistance from the French donor group 'Solu Chyam' on a cost sharing basis with the local government, there was the news.

All schools in Manang are filled with students from other districts. According to the news, the schools, which have residential facilities, are run because of the students who have come from other districts in search of work.

Janakalyan Secondary School located in Pulachour, Beni Municipality, Myagdi, has been accused of collecting more than eight thousand rupees from students while providing SEE certificates, the news came.

Rishiram Devkota wrote in Gorkhapatra that it is a wrong practice to deprive children of parental care and affection in a family environment by placing them in schools far from their families in the name of education.

Basanta Acharya pointed out in Gorkhapatra that there is an opportunity for local governments to play a special role in producing timely, quality, and competent students.
The government has launched an investigation into the sending of Nepali students to fake colleges in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The news quoted that the Minister Pun saying that a complaint has been received about consultancies sending students to fake colleges and the investigation is underway.  

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 8-14 Nov 2025 in this issue and this often is the translated version of Nepali edition - The Editor.

Read this analysis in Nepali : फेरि शिक्षकलाई दलीय राजनीतिमा रोक !?! 

Read last week's content : Last week in Educationn