Limited education reform pledges in manifestos: major parties fell short on implementation
Kathmandu | Magh 20
Political parties are preparing to draft new election manifestos—along with an education reform “roadmap”—ahead of the next House of Representatives election. However, a review of past election pledges and commitments on education reform shows that most remained incomplete and largely confined to paper.
After the 2079 (BS) election results, major parties participated in government at different phases. Yet their own documents indicate they fell significantly short in implementing the priority agendas listed in their manifestos. This pattern is visibly present across most major parties, including the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), the then Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) Centre, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the then CPN (Socialist), and the Janata Samajwadi Party, among others.
Nepali Congress: the “no ministry” argument and unfinished plans
In its previous election manifesto, the Nepali Congress presented highly ambitious plans. The party’s key pledge was to introduce a federal education act within one year of forming a government. It also committed to keeping education free from political interference and managing the sector through law, ensuring the constitutional right to free education through measures such as a voucher system, and expanding access to quality education for all.
The manifesto also prioritized measures such as introducing special packages to attract talented university graduates into school teaching, expanding internet-connected educational institutions to 80 percent, increasing the share of technical and vocational skills in the curriculum to 40 percent, and monitoring private school fees.
In addition, the manifesto included 23 points, including establishing teaching hospitals in all seven provinces to run medical education, introducing additional policies to manage community campuses, making legal arrangements to strengthen university autonomy, and removing the traditional provision that makes the Prime Minister the Chancellor and the Education Minister the Pro-Chancellor. However, many of these issues did not receive priority.
During this period, the Nepali Congress did not get the opportunity to lead the government. Even while participating in various coalition governments, it did not secure responsibility for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology—an outcome that appears to have pushed these pledges into the background.
CPN (UML): weak implementation despite holding power and the ministry
Through its 2079 (BS) manifesto, the CPN (UML) proposed raising school enrollment to 100 percent within two years and making education fully free and compulsory up to secondary level. But these ambitious plans have not been fully realized so far.
The UML also presented major programs such as expanding technical and vocational education up to 70 percent, restoring dignity to the teaching profession, linking education with production, employment, and research, and producing internationally competitive human resources. It also pledged to strengthen physical and digital infrastructure in schools and universities. Yet, on the test of implementation, the UML also appears to have fallen short.
In the meantime, the UML not only led the government but also held the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Party leader and former minister for the ministry, Bidya Bhattarai, acknowledged the gap between manifesto commitments and implementation. She said the compulsion of coalition governance—where political agreements often take priority—causes education and other agendas to be sidelined. She added:
“An even bigger problem is the pattern common among political parties: making one kind of commitment during elections, and after reaching government saying, ‘this cannot be done.’ This is unfortunate.”
Maoist Centre: the “law within six months” promise and near-zero results
The then Nepal Communist Party (Maoist Centre) also gave high priority to quality education in its manifesto. It pledged to issue a federal education act within six months of a new government forming, fully implement laws related to free and compulsory education to guarantee citizens’ rights, and make education free and compulsory up to Grade 12.
The manifesto also stated that curricula would be revised to balance theory and practice so that no one who passes Grade 12 would have to remain unemployed, and that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education would be made compulsory. Other priorities included making contract and temporary professors/teachers in schools and universities permanent, ensuring parity in service benefits between teachers and civil servants, establishing at least one provincial university in each province, and setting up a constituent campus of Tribhuvan University in each district—among 13 points. But the implementation status of these commitments is described as almost zero.
In this context, party leader and former Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Devendra Poudel, said that although many issues were taken to the implementation stage, problems emerged after the party had to leave the government mid-way. He also claimed political instability, including repeated crises such as parliament dissolution, made it difficult to deliver on the agenda.
Rastriya Swatantra Party: the need for a clear mandate and ambitious reforms
The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) included its plans in the manifesto under the slogan “Excellent education and values are a strong foundation for national development.” The party proposed issuing an education act and implementing three years of compulsory early education by ensuring the necessary human and financial resources before children are enrolled in Grade 1.
It also pledged to increase teachers’ service benefits, form university councils and appoint key officials through open competition, abolish the provision that makes the Prime Minister the Chancellor, and establish residential schools with special infrastructure in all provinces for children with disabilities. However, none of these policies have been implemented so far.
RSP leader and former Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Shishir Khanal, said a clear political mandate is necessary for full implementation of manifesto commitments. According to him, it becomes easier to implement pledges only when a party wins a majority through elections and forms a government.
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