KATHMANDU: The National Private and Boarding Schools’ Association Nepal (N-PABSON) has called for the immediate enactment of the proposed School Education Act, urging the government to revise and issue the bill in a timely and farsighted manner.
Speaking at a press conference today, N-PABSON stressed that the Act should reflect the constitutional vision of an advanced Nepal, with participation from public, private, and cooperative sectors, and should be drafted without discrimination. The association demanded that private schools currently registered under the Company Act be allowed to continue operating within the same legal framework.
N-PABSON President Subash Neupane stressed that schools registered under the Company Act cannot be defined as non-profit institutions and asked that this be clearly stated in the new law.
He also urged the government to remove the proposed mandatory provision requiring private schools to offer 15 percent full scholarships, calling instead for a fairer and more just scholarship system that ensures equal access to all children.
Highlighting global education practices, the association argued that except for fully state-funded schools, private schools cannot operate free of charge, and called for serious review of this reality. It also demanded meaningful participation of the private sector in education policymaking and legislation.
According to N-PABSON, private schools account for 34 percent of school-level education in Nepal, with investments exceeding Rs 800 billion. The sector employs over 200,000 teachers and staff, 55 percent of them women, and serves around three million students across the country.
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