KATHMANDU: The parliamentary Education, Science and Technology Committee has decided to return the School Education Bill to the Consultation and Coordination Subcommittee after lawmakers failed to reach consensus on several key provisions during Thursday’s meeting at Singha Durbar.
Despite holding day-long discussions within the subcommittee, no conclusion was reached. As a result, the full committee decided to reconvene the subcommittee on Friday morning to attempt further consensus-building, particularly on the management of private schools—a point of contention among members.
Committee chair Amar Bahadur Thapa said the consultation meeting would begin at 9 a.m. Friday, followed by the full committee meeting at 11:30 a.m. He stated that the aim is to pass the bill in committee on Friday and present it to the House of Representatives on Saturday.
Members expressed sharply differing views on the regulation of private schools. Nepali Congress Chief Whip Shyam Ghimire argued that banning private schools for the next 15 years is not viable and called for effective regulation instead of prohibition.
CPN-UML lawmaker and former education minister Bidya Bhattarai emphasized that the new law should align with constitutional provisions mandating free and compulsory education. She warned against adopting any new act that might contradict existing obligations.
Meanwhile, Maoist Center MP Rekha Sharma opposed giving free rein to private schools. She said if the state is unable to enforce constitutional provisions on free education, then amending the constitution should be considered.
No consensus has yet been reached on matters such as Early Childhood Development (ECD). The committee is aiming to finalize and present the bill before the June 29 deadline, as previously agreed upon with the protesting Nepal Teachers’ Federation.
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