Joint Student Organizations Issue Statement on School Education Bill 2082

Joint Press Release on School Education Bill 2082

Our joint student organizations have taken serious note of the School Education Bill registered in Parliament on 2082 Bhadra 5 after being endorsed by the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee. After 54 years, this bill is being introduced to replace the old Education Act of 2028.

We had expected the bill to fundamentally reform Nepal’s education sector in line with the spirit of the Constitution by addressing its distortions and challenges. 

However, the proposed bill instead ignores those expectations, institutionalizes further privatization and commercialization, weakens public education, and encourages youth migration abroad.

We strongly demand that the following issues be incorporated into the bill without delay to ensure a student-friendly School Education Act that upholds global legal and ethical values, ensures the State’s responsibility for guardianship and education of children, including those without guardians, and creates skilled, ethical, competitive, and nationally committed human resources.

Demands

1. Free and Compulsory Education: As per the Constitution, guarantee free and compulsory education up to the basic level and completely free education at the secondary level. The Act must embody the constitutional pledge of building a socialist-oriented education policy and program that develops inclusivity and aligns with Nepal’s socialist commitment.

2. Budget Allocation: Provide skill-based, employment-oriented, and production-focused education. In line with government commitments, all three tiers of government must allocate at least 20% of their annual budgets to education.

3. End to Privatization and Commercialization: Eliminate distortions caused by privatization and commercialization of education. Develop education as a service-oriented sector, and progressively ensure free education at all levels. Permanently ban the approval of new private educational institutions.

4. Teacher Recruitment Policy: Cancel the proposed changes in age and qualification requirements for teacher recruitment, which risk creating a shortage of qualified teachers. Maintain the existing provisions of 18–40 years of age and the current qualification requirements for a certain period.

5. Mandatory Enrollment in Public Schools: Require that children of teachers, employees, people’s representatives, and all who receive state facilities must study in public schools.

6. Equality in Curriculum and Language: Ensure uniformity in curricula and teaching materials across all institutions. End linguistic discrimination and guarantee teaching in mother tongue, Nepali, and at least one international language in all schools.

7. Early Childhood Development: Integrate early childhood development into the school education system, and designate its instructors as teachers. Scrap the provision that restricts teacher transfers for five years within a province and instead allow transfers after the probation period with clear rules and priorities.

8. Inclusive Teacher Recruitment: Address legitimate demands of teachers and staff. Conduct teacher recruitment based on 100% open competition reflecting inclusive values. Establish a Teachers’ Academy for systematic training, research, and innovation to enhance teaching quality and professional capacity.

9. Centralized Student Scholarship Portal: Integrate all scholarships provided by institutions, agencies, embassies, and schools into a single, transparent system by creating a central student scholarship portal to ensure access for targeted students.

Planned Struggles

1. 2082 Bhadra 16: Press Conference

2. 2082 Bhadra 17–18: Submit memorandum to the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chairperson of the National Assembly, and Minister of Education

3. 2082 Bhadra 19: Nationwide interaction with chief whips of all parties, education department heads of political parties, and former student leaders

4. 2082 Bhadra 20–22: Signature campaign, awareness drive, and creative demonstrations for free education

5. 2082 Bhadra 23: Submit memorandum to the Prime Minister and Minister of Education via CDO offices nationwide

6. 2082 Bhadra 24: Mass student demonstration in Kathmandu Valley and nationwide

We inform that if these demands are not addressed on time, stronger protest programs will be announced.

Signatories

• Dujang Sherpa, President, Nepal Student Union

• Dr. Sujan Kadariya, President, ANNFSU

• Vijay Prakash Sharma Sapkota, President, ANNFSU (Revolutionary)

• Mahesh Shrestha, President, ANNFSU

• Narendra C, President, Akhil (Socialist)

• Manish Kumar Yadav, President, Socialist Student Union Nepal

• Birendra Shah, President, Akhil (Revolutionary)

• Subash G.C., President, Akhil (Sixth)

• Mahesh Shrestha, Coordinator, Akhil (Revolutionary)

• Poshan Yadav, Central Coordinator, Student Janamat Union

• Bal Bahadur Ramtel, President, New Force Student Union

• Roshan Mishra, President, Democratic Student Union

• Himanshu, President, Scientific Socialist Student Organization

• Pavitra Acharya, President, Akhil (Fifth)

• Pankaj Dev, President, National Student Forum

• Minish Bhattarai, President, All Nepal Student Union

• Prakash Chamling Rai, President, Socialist Student Union

Date: 2082/05/16