Kathmandu - The news that a Nepali student studying at the Kaling Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, was found dead in the hostel last week, got priority in the most media. According to the news, a third year B-Tech student likely to have committed suicide for the abuse of an Indian student in the same institution. The KIIT administration and the police used excessive force and assaulted Nepali students when they were agitated demanding an investigation into this incident. More than a thousand Nepali students have returned home, feeling unsafe, mentioned the news. This incident has raised concern about the safety of other students studying in India, there was the news. 

When the attention of the Indian government was drawn after the Prime Minister of Nepal expressed concern about the situation created by the death of a Nepali student in an Indian educational institution, there was the news that the officials of KIIT apologized. It was reported that the Nepali Embassy in India has assigned two officers to probe the incident further.

This incident draw attention of students who wish to study abroad need to be counseled on various aspects of their practical life besides studies, news published in the Gorakhapatra. Also the Kantipur wrote an editorial on the matter. 

While there is an influx of Nepali students going for higher education to India, the universities and other educational institutions of Nepal are suffering from the shortage of students, there was the news. It was mentioned in the news quoting the annual report of the University Grants Commission for the financial year 2080/81 that barely 500 students are studying in some universities of Nepal.

Every year more than one hundred thousand Nepali students go to study abroad. During their stay abroad, they are subject to financial, mental and physical abuse and exploitation, reports were published. The government issues a no-objection-certificate (NOC) that also facilitates the exchange of money to those who are going or have gone to study abroad, but it does not provide necessary counseling to students about the problems they may encounter abroad. 

On one hand, the government does not even has record of how many students are abroad in which countries, on the other, there is no tendency of students informing Nepali Missions until something serious happens or there is an emergency. There is hue-and-cry towards the government in such incidences asking for help. It needs immediate improvement in both fronts. 

Thinking long term, the students who go to India are mostly for the purpose of studies unlike Europe, America, Australia or Canada where they have interests for residency. Can we not provide as much education as a private educational institution deliver in India? So-called technicians, experts, professors are just fighting for the position? Serious questions arise! Where will our nationalism go when students are forced to go to India? How can our dysfunction be covered? Shouldn't our future identity and nationalism be based on sound knowledge i.e. education? Or is it a strategy that when two neighboring countries are strong, we will be happy by sending our youth there?! 

On a different note, the attitude taken by the Indian media in favor of Nepali students is also important. The Indian media has not been blindly nationalist. And if done as a duty, the Prime Minister's immediate response is also commendable. However, there has been no similar sensitivity manifested in both countries in favor of menial workers in similar incidences.

There was news that Purvanchal University will take students who return to Nepal with special reasons without completing their studies abroad. The registrar's office will issue a notification and transfer the credits of students who have returned from different countries without completing their studies, the news mentioned. 

In the convocation ceremony of Pokhara University, 7,872 students of different levels and subjects were initiated by the Vice Chancellor and Prime Minister of the University KP Sharma Oli, the news published. 

6 different student organizations have objected to the padlocking of the Rector's Office and the Directorate of Student Welfare and Sports by the Chairperson of Free Student Union (FSU) of Amrit Science Campus and Padma Kanya Campus on the issue of FSU elections.  The Tribhuvan University (TU) has announced the schedule for the FSU election to be held on the 18 March 2025 (5th of Chait), quoted the news. According to the schedule, students register for candidature in the Campuses across the country on 11 March 2025 (February 27), the news mentioned. 

It was reported that the Chairperson of FSU of the TU Shyamraj Ojha, Chairperson of FSU of Pulchok Engineering Campus Biraj Aryal and Chairperson of FSU of Nepal Law Campus Bishnu Dhungel have issued a statement and demanded to hold a meeting of the University Council immediately. 

The Land Search Committee of Nepal Sanskrit University has submitted a report on encroachment of 563 acres of land, to Prime Minister KP Oli, the news published.

It was reported that the ruling parties have decided to build consensus to pass all the bills pending in the Parliament, including the Federal Civil Service Bill and the School Education Bill.

In an article by Surya Pandey published in Gorkhapatra entitled 'Timely Changes in Education', in the seven decades of the establishment of democracy, more than two dozen universities (including central, provincial and educational institutes) have been established in Nepal, and nearly 1,500 campuses have been operated under those educational institutions; shows timely changes has been happened in education, he wrote. 

In Kantipur, Rabina Maharjan in an article titled 'Students losing culture and skills?', it has been argued that because the way of teaching, examination and evaluation is focused on knowledge, it is not possible to provide education with culture, behavior and skills according to the interests and abilities of the students.

The Education Journalist Group discussed on Early Childhood Development (ECD) in the School Education Bill, the news published. In the discussion, which included stakeholders and members of the parliamentary committee, it was suggested to make ECD a part of school education, to make ECD only for 1 year in both private and public, the news mentioned. 

In yet another the article of Dhan Sudan Chaulagai published in Gorkhapatra, it is argued that there should be proper provision of educational human resource by matching the demand and supply of teachers based on national standards from early childhood development to secondary level. 

It was reported that Saroj Yadav, Ward President of Sabaila Municipality, Ward 11 of Dhanusha, staging a sit-in  or a dharna in the Municipality demanding educational reform and fulfill teacher shortage.

There was news that Nepal Ratna School, which was opened to provide free education to children from orphans and underprivileged families, has been refused permission to operate Class 9 on ward for 3 years by Tarakeshwar Municipality.

Schools that are opened even in a non-commercial manner with good intentions without mapping and without zoning also destabilize the system of education. The government cannot open new schools or close existing ones just because there are such privately initiated schools. This is an important side effect of non-state schools. If the Municipality has refused to give approval without any vested interests such an action should be welcomed. Even those who want to help in education, instead of opening a new school themselves, they can help students to study in nearby schools; it will be good for everyone! Furthermore, if you help the schools where you have helped to educate a particular student, many will benefit from one’s help! 

There was news that the 'School Education Sector Plan' (SESP) run under US Assistance for International Development (USAID), will be affected. Citing the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, an Online News wrote that USAID has been providing 17 million Dollars (2 billion 363 million rupees) for the Plan. 

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 Nepal Television and Himalaya Television is summarized and presented with commentary on relevant issues. We have covered the contents from 15-21 February 2025 in this issue - The Editor.

Read last two week's analysis in Nepali : नेपाली विद्यार्थी भारतको छात्रावासमा मृत भेटिएपछि. . [अडियो/भिडियो सहित]

Read last week's content : Last week in education