Kathmandu - The Federal School Education Bill, 2080 is no longer in the list of discussions of the Education, Science and Information Technology Committee (the Committee) of the House of Representatives (the Parliament), the news realized. The Bill was registered in the Parliament on September 13, 2024. The MPs registered the amendment proposals after the Bill was discussed on principles and sent to the Committee. The Committee started discussion on the Bill on December 24 taking stock of suggestions from the stakeholders. Since Ms Sumana Shrestha took the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), the Ministry showed no interest in moving the Bill forward, mentioned in the news. At present, the committee is discussing the 'National University of Nepal Bill, 2022' there was news.

As a member of the committee, Ms Shrestha participated actively in the discussions on the bill and raised her voice in the parliament and the committee that the bill should be good enough to give direction to the education of Nepal. It has been widely experienced that the education bill has not been given due importance after she assume the role of the Minister. The Bill regarded as an important key to reforming school education, has not been prioritized either by the government or the Committee. Shrestha, as a member of the Committee, who even raised the voice that the Bill should be 'rewritten'. It is important to clarify the government's positon and decide whether the Ministry takes the Bill forward or withdraws it. This is also important to maintain her political credibility. 

In the opinion of her well-wishers, if this play down of the Bill is because of the coalition partners in the Government, then it is better to make it explicit in time.
Her work shows that she is paying attention to immediate problems reactively than working with a long-term perspective that would be expected from her.
The Committee had a setback as the Chair who was getting hold of the girth of the problem of the Bill became the Minister of Federal Affairs and, also lost a vocal member as the Minister who appears not paying attention to the Bill. 

The talk between Nepal Socialist Students Union (SSU) President Mr Netra Chapagai, who staged a stand-in protest at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu with the slogan 'The basis of quality education through the improvement of early childhood development and education (ECDE)' and the Minister of MoEST did not reach to a conclusion, the news came last week. 

Mr Chapagain had started the stand-in protest last week. He was called for talks by the Minister who came to meet him at the protest site. The Minister tried to negotiate with him without forming a negotiation committee, mentioned the news. According to the news, Chapagai continued standing-up during the talk with the Minister. It was also mentioned in the news that his movement was supported by other student organizations and the ECDE Teachers' Struggle Committee.

This is a great disruption in the tradition of student organizations who did not used to involve in the core issues of education at the behest of the party the students' union was affiliated. This has given an indication that students and even teachers' organizations can bring about a big change if they step out of the cocoon of the partisan interests little bit. The coming days will show whether this is just a work to get the media limelight or an act of sincerity with the desire for real change in education.

There has been news that the problem related to the manipulation of the list of students for MBBS scholarship in Bangladesh has been resolved after the Bangladesh Government to admit 8 more people missing from the list sent by Nepal Government. Out of the 22 people recommended by the Medical Education Commission for 22 scholarships given by the Bangladesh Government, only 12 people were accepted from Bangladesh. The Nepal government had sent a 'diplomatic note' to the Bangladesh Government regarding the difference in the list.

There was a news of threats of refusal to give back the land??? by the organization who had been using the land owned by Tribhuvan University (TU). After the university claim back the land, the TU administration has appealed to the government, it is mentioned in the news. There was news in Ratopati that Laboratory Secondary Residential School, Radhaswamy Satsang (supposedly a Hindu religious group), Republic Memorial, BP Planetarium, Drinking Water Corporation, Ayurveda Research Center and others have refused to return the land to the University.

It was reported that the suggestion committee constituted to study the issue of Equivalence and Recognition of Higher Education Degrees formed by the TU has publicly asked for suggestions for timely amendments in the procedure for recognition and equivalence of higher education degrees.

There was an agreement between the Trichandra Campus administration and the protesting part-time teachers to pay the salary for a few months at the old rate until the decision of the University Executive; mentioned in the news. There was dispute between the two parties regarding the rate of salary given to part-time teachers.

It was reported that in the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers of Bagmati Province have decided  to submit the bill to replace the Provincial Higher Education First Amendment Ordinance, 2024 in the Provincial Assembly. On the 5th of May, the Bagmati Province Government had issued an ordinance to amend the provisions of the Province Higher Education Act, 2021 regarding the formation of the Board of Trustees of Bagmati University.

There are only two students and three teachers in Araniko Primary School located in Yari village of Namkha Rural Municiplity (RM) in Humla, the news came. 'Two students are being taught by three teachers in ECD' the news mentioned quoting Principal Harinarayan Chaudhary.

There was news that classes had to be conducted in the school premises under the hot sun after the roof of Shishu Sudhar Basic School in Mangalsen Municipality of Achham was blown off by the storm. It was mentioned in the news that the storm has damaged the desks, benches and other educational materials in the classrooms.

There was another news that the roof of Indrajyoti Basic School in Aath Biskot Municipality in Rukum West was built after one and a half months. After the corrugated metal roof was blown away by the storm, the teaching was being done under the tree. 75 children study up to class two in the school.

News came that the secondary school of Basantpur of Harinagar RM in Sunsari has installed the 'digital smart board' to make technology-friendly environment.

There was news that Jaljala RM of Parbat is going to select the Head-teacher based on the school reform proposal. The school improvement proposals have been called from teachers who want to be Head-teacher, in all public schools from primary to secondary levels, mentioned in the news.

Suryodaya Municipality of Ilam has started a program to teach chess in schools under the overall development of students program. It was mentioned in the news that Municipality is conducting various programs with the slogan '12 months, 12 programs' aimed at students.

There was news that a language class has been conducted for the youth of the Katharia Community in Kailali so that the language of the community does not go extinct. Fifteen classes were conducted in different places of Kailali in collaboration with Himalayan Adibasi Samaj (indigenous society), Kathmandu and Katharia Society Nepal, mentioned in the news.

Because there is no comprehensive discussion about the need for textbooks for upper classes rather than pre-primary classes, small students of infant classes (LKG and UKG) are doomed to carry the burden of books, written in an article by Madhu Rai in Kantipur.

Most of the pre-primary students who go to private schools have to carry two to three kg of text books and writing books daily, mentioned the article.

In Gorkhapatra, Shanti Krishna Adhikari wrote that Mahendra Sanskrit University could not gain momentum due to partisanship in the appointmetns of executives of the University.

Ever ready 'letter to editor' writer Prof. Dr. Man Prasad Wagle has written again on the issue of government schools charging fees even though the constitution says free education up to class 12. He raised the issue of having to run government schools by taking 'illegal fees' in the letter due to the reduction of budget in education by the government.

The 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 padagogy to the policy makers and stakeholders in one place. In this joint effort of Center for Education Policy and Practice (CEPP) and Edukhbar, the news of daily newspapers Kantipur, Gorkhapatra and The Himalayan Times, online newsportals Online Khabar, Setopati and Ratopati and Himalaya TV and Nepal Television from 18-24 May 2024 are covered - Editor.

Read last week's content : Last week in education 

Read it in Nepali : शिक्षा विधेयकमा बेवास्ता