New Education Bill Proposes Quality Testing Authority
The government has added a provision in the upcoming School Education Bill to establish an Educational Quality Testing Authority. However, the existing Quality Testing Center already carries out this function.
Experts have remarked that this new provision will only serve as a means to create jobs for individuals while adding financial burden to the state, without bringing real change.
The Secretariat of Education, Science, and Technology in the House of Representatives, which was tasked with managing technical aspects of the bill, completed its responsibility and submitted the draft to the committee on Monday. Committee members have been given the bill for study.
The bill defines the Authority’s main responsibility as submitting proposals to the ministry for approval of standards and benchmarks for educational quality testing.
Expert Concerns
Former Director of the Quality Testing Center, Uttarkumar Parajuli, analyzed that creating a new authority would only increase state expenses:
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A center already exists to measure children’s learning achievements.
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Instead of creating another authority, the current center should be strengthened with adequate resources.
Parajuli recalled that during his tenure, the center had published benchmark books with rules to improve children’s reading fluency and accuracy. Research had shown weak learning outcomes were linked to poor reading skills, so the center had initiated targeted programs. He argued that the proposed authority would merely become a platform to employ unnecessary staff.
Current Role of the Quality Testing Center
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The Quality Testing Center currently evaluates educational institutions.
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It measures children’s learning achievements.
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It analyzes and publishes results of quality testing.
Other Provisions in the Bill
The School Education Bill also includes:
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Allowing private schools seeking to become public trusts to receive state facilities and services.
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Establishment of a Quality Testing Authority to:
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Define national standards for overall school education quality testing.
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Develop benchmarks and guidelines.
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Conduct national learning achievement tests of students.
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Assess the performance of agencies and schools linked to school education.
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The head of the authority will be a Chief Education Examiner appointed by the Government of Nepal.
