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🇳🇵 Nepal /Elections & Politics

Nepal Education Ministry Orders Action Against Schools Denying Scholarships

From Kathmandu Post · (3d ago) English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Nepal's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has directed local governments to take legal action against schools failing to provide legally mandated scholarships.
  • Private and public schools are required to reserve at least 10 percent of enrollment for scholarships, prioritizing marginalized communities.
  • The ministry also instructed schools to update scholarship recipient details online and make them public.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is taking a firm stance to ensure that educational institutions adhere to the Compulsory and Free Education Act, 2018, and the Education Regulations, 2002. This directive to local governments underscores the government's commitment to providing equitable educational opportunities, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The requirement for schools to reserve at least 10 percent of their enrollment for scholarships, with a focus on poor, marginalized, female, Dalit, and indigenous communities, is a crucial step towards social justice in education.

The ministry has also instructed all schools to immediately update the details of scholarship recipients in the Integrated Management Information System in accordance with the prescribed selection process.

— Ministry of Education, Science and TechnologyStatement regarding the directive to schools on scholarship provisions.

The ministry's call for transparency, including updating scholarship recipient details in the Integrated Management Information System and making these lists public, is a welcome move. This will help prevent the misuse of scholarship funds and ensure that deserving students benefit. The example of Prime Minister Balendra Shah's effective enforcement of this provision in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, which garnered widespread praise, serves as a testament to the positive impact such measures can have.

Schools have been asked to make the list of scholarship recipients public in a way accessible to all parents, and local governments have been urged to monitor whether such records are updated.

— Ministry of Education, Science and TechnologyStatement regarding transparency and monitoring of scholarship distribution.

By mandating local units to monitor and facilitate legal action against non-compliant schools, the ministry is empowering them to act as enforcers of educational equity. This decentralized approach ensures that the provisions are implemented effectively at the grassroots level. The ultimate goal is to create a more inclusive and accessible education system for all Nepalese children, regardless of their socio-economic status.

Schools failing to comply should be compelled to update the information without delay, the letter states.

— Ministry of Education, Science and TechnologyInstruction within the letter sent to local governments.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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