The Patan Appellate Court on Sunday issued an order to the Ministry
of Education (MoE) and the Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB)
asking them not to implement the provision of advertising ceiling. Now
higher secondary Schools can advertise as per their needs and capacity,
A single bench of Judge Deepak Kumar Karki asked the defendants, including the Education ministry, not to go ahead with the ceiling—Rs 500,000 in the Kathmandu valley and Rs 50,000 in Village Development Committees. The bench was responding to a petition filed at the court on June 6 by Advocate Suraj Kumar Regmi against the implementation of code of conduct prepared by the HSEB.
The HSEB prepared the code of conduct that places the ceiling as per the directive of the Ministry of Education on October 14, 2012.
Petitioner Regmi argues that placing an advertisement cap for Nepali schools put them at a disadvantage over their foreign competitors which are not bound by any ceiling. The petition argues that a cap of Rs 500,000 is not sufficient for any school in the Kathmandu valley as advertising in any broadsheet daily is no less than the set amount.
Further, it argues that the foreign competitors are likely to benefit as Nepali schools will not be able to advertise their capacity if the ceiling is in place.
“The code of conduct should be nullified as it seeks to overshadow the Nepali schools and promote foreign ones,” reads the petition.
Advocate Regmi also argues that the code of conduct has no legal basis as it was prepared on the basis of a ministerial order instead of any specific law.
Among other things, the code of conduct bans mobile phones,
motorbikes and miniskirts in higher secondary schools. Likewise, it bars
students from going to cinema halls, restaurants, parks, shopping malls
and other places in school uniform.
