Stakeholders Requested to Revise on Contingency Action Plan for School Education: Stating that the contingency action plan on school education has not been implemented effectively, it has been demanded to revise it immediately. Stakeholders including local people's representatives, school management committee officials, and teachers have demanded to add an agenda to provide a vaccine against COVID-19 while revising the contingency action plan.
The demand was made by Aajako Shaksya Saptahik and the School Management Committee Federation of Nepal (SMC Federation) in a virtual discussion on the series 'Education Contingency Action Plan on School Education'.
The Ministry of Education had formulated 'Contingency Action Plan 2077 on School Education' last year. In the 31-point action plan, it is mentioned that the Internet will be expanded, public school teachers and students will be connected to the 'CUG', i.e. 'closed user group' of mobile services, educational materials will be prepared and the learning facilitation center will be made a 'free WiFi zone'.
Similarly, activities such as teacher door-to-door program development, audio-visual material development, and broadcasting, teacher capacity development, student access to alternative learning and relocation and school change data collection, textbook assurance, student enrollment, teacher visits, teaching methods, and evaluation process are planned.
These works are specified in the action plan to be carried out by the Ministry of Education, Health, Finance and Communication, Education and Human Resource Development Center, local level, and schools.
During the discussion, General Secretary of the National Federation of Rural Municipalities and Chairman of Indravati Rural Municipality Sindhupalchowk, Vansalal Tamang, said that the contingency action plan made for the Corona period last year could not be fully implemented. "Corona's influence was low in many villages last year. The action plan was to mobilize teachers in those places, distribute mobile SIM cards and enhance the learning process, 'said General Secretary Tamang.' This is not the case this time. Infected in all villages. Teachers do not have to go in groups. That's why the contingency plan needs to be revised.
Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Head of Planning Division Dr. According to Tulsi Thapaliya, the ministry has set up a web portal to connect students to online learning, textbooks delivered on time, and teaching through radio and television as per the contingency action plan. He said that the ministry was ready to remove the irrelevant aspects of the contingency action plan.
Govinda Koirala, chairman of the Jana Namuna Secondary School School Management Committee in Birendranagar, Surkhet, questioned whether the contingency action plan was only for the preparation of documents. He demanded that the vaccination program for teachers be included in the contingency action plan.
Central Chairman of the School Management Committee Federation of Nepal (SMC Federation) Krishna Thapa said that all stakeholders should be consulted while updating the contingency action plan. Education Engineer Om Sharma Chapagain said that the current budget did not address the epidemic and the implementation of the contingency action plan was difficult due to the imposition of directives from the center.
