KATHMANDU: While the ruling Nepali Congress was holding its Central Working Committee meeting in Sanepa, Education, Science and Technology Minister Raghuji Pant made an unexpected appearance to discuss the stalled School Education Bill with party president Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The meeting between Deuba and Minister Pant, which took place on Monday, was also attended by NC’s Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire.
The discussion focused on finding consensus within the party on the long-delayed bill, which remains stuck in the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee of Parliament.
The visit comes amid mounting pressure from stakeholders to pass the bill. The Nepal Teachers’ Federation (NTF) issued a fresh warning earlier on Monday, threatening to resume protests if the bill is not passed by the end of the current fiscal month.
The federation has demanded that the bill be endorsed in accordance with a previous agreement reached with the government on April 30.
Disagreements within the parliamentary committee persist, especially on issues such as the future of private schools and the management of relief teachers. The NTF leadership, including President Laxmi Kishor Subedi and General Secretary Tula Bahadur Thapa Magar, called for immediate passage of the bill and warned of consequences if further delays or political maneuvering continue.
“There is no room for further delay. Any attempt to stall or sabotage this process will compel us to return to protest,” the NTF stated.
Minister Pant’s Sanepa visit is seen as an effort to forge consensus between the ruling coalition partners, especially the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, to move the legislation forward.
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