Kamal Rural Municipality Discloses Where Officials Enroll Their Children
Kamal Rural Municipality, Jhapa, has publicly released data on where its elected representatives, community schoolteachers, and government employees send their children for education.
The municipality published this information through a notice “for stakeholders’ awareness.” The data reveals that more than half of the officials, community teachers, and government staff do not send their children to government schools.
The record has been officially certified by Chairperson Hukum Singh Rai. Among the 414 individuals listed—comprising elected representatives, community teachers, and government employees—only 67 have enrolled their children in community schools.
Breakdown of Enrollment Preferences
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99 individuals send their children to private schools.
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Out of the remaining 248:
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Most reported that their children have already completed school-level education.
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Some stated they are unmarried.
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A few reported their children are studying abroad.
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Full Disclosure of Names, Classes, and Schools
The municipality published the names, class levels, and school names of the children of:
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257 community schoolteachers
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39 elected representatives
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118 government employees
It was noted that Chairperson Hukum Singh Rai and Vice-Chairperson Pramila Neupane’s children have completed school-level education, although the schools they attended were not disclosed.
Individual Examples from the Report
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Chief Administrative Officer Keshav Kumar Dhakal’s daughter is in Grade 3 at Lilliput Premier School (a private school).
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Ward No. 2 member Bhim Bahadur Karki and executive member Gyan Bahadur Nepali have enrolled their children in their own ward's community schools.
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Karki’s son studies at Mahendra Ratna Secondary School.
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Nepali’s two children attend Narendra Janata Secondary School.
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Ward No. 1 member Chaitanya Prasad Chamlagai has enrolled his children at Gyanjyoti Boarding School, Gauradaha.
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Ward No. 7 member Himadevi Nepali sends her children to Smarika Boarding School.
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Accounts Officer Srijana Rai does not send either of her two children to a community school.
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Her children are enrolled at Gyanodaya Bal Batika School and Suryodaya English School.
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Executive Decision on School Choice
Chairperson Rai stated that the municipality's executive meeting on 2080/01/19 decided that elected representatives, community schoolteachers, and government staff should enroll their children in public schools.
This data collection effort was based on that decision. Although the Education Act does not mandate public officials or employees to enroll their children in community schools, the municipality aims to boost public confidence in community education through this initiative.
Public Reaction and Ongoing Complaints
The public has responded positively to the municipality’s move, especially at a time when there are growing complaints that community schoolteachers themselves prefer private schools for their children.
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Among the 257 teachers, only 57 send their children to public schools, while 53 have opted for private institutions.
Specific Cases from Teachers
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Ram Kumar Subba, a teacher at Saraswati Secondary School in Ward No. 7, sends both his children to the same school where he teaches.
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His children study in Grades 4 and 6.
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Prabhakar Kafle, a teacher at Shahid Dharmabhakta Secondary School, has both his children enrolled in private schools.
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His children attend Singhadevi Boarding School in Damak and Sunshine Boarding School in Kamal.
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Summary of the Findings
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Among 39 elected representatives, only 4 have enrolled their children in public schools.
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Out of 118 government staff, only 6 send their children to community schools.
