The government has proposed to allow private schools to be established and operated under educational trusts and companies. Education Minister Raghuji Pant proposed to allow private schools to operate in the same way as trusts or companies while presenting suggestions on the School Education Bill in the Education Committee meeting held today.
In a meeting of the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee under the House of Representatives today, Education Minister Raghuji Panta emphasized that prohibiting private schools is not feasible and advocated for stricter regulations instead.
In addition, the government has suggested making Early Childhood Development (ECD) a one-year course, citing financial constraints. A study task force formed by the government a few months ago had recommended a two-year course, but the government estimated that implementing this would increase annual expenditure by approximately 28 billion rupees, which is unmanageable.
In the meeting, Minister Pant also proposed transferring the administration of the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) to provincial governments. This move aims to decentralize the examination process, aligning with the principles of federalism and enhancing local governance in education.
Earlier, the lawmakers had demanded a government proposal on the issue of private schools and ECD, which was yet to be finalized by the subcommittee. The government was unable to move forward with the bill due to the lack of clarity on the government's stance. The committee's Chairman Ammar Bahadur Thapa has given lawmakers two days to review the proposal submitted by Minister Pant. Following this, the School Education Bill will proceed with continuous discussions. The government aims to pass the bill in Parliament by Asar 15, as per the agreement reached with the Teachers Federation.
