Educationpatra, Kathmandu. The long-awaited Federal Education Bill is set to be presented in the parliament as the government has decided to take the crucial step. In a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, the bill received approval for amendments and the integration of laws related to school education.
The initiative to send the bill for approval came after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s appointment, and the Ministry of Education collaborated with the Ministry of Finance and Law in this process. Earlier, in the month of Chait (March), the Ministry of Law had provided theoretical agreement to the bill soon after Ashok Rai was appointed as the Minister of Education. Subsequently, the bill gained approval from the Ministry of Finance and Law, and it was passed by the Cabinet’s Legislative Committee in the last hour. The government spokesperson and Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, made the announcement regarding this development.
The key highlight of the bill is the consolidation of school education under the sole authority of the Ministry of Education. Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel, who has devoted the past eight years to developing the Education Act in alignment with the federal structure, confirmed this vital aspect. He also mentioned that a separate bill for the integration of technical and higher education is currently under consideration by the Ministry of Finance and Law.
According to the provisions of the Constitution of 2072 (2015), the translation of the Federal Education Act was mandated to be completed within two years, by Asar 3, 2074 (June 17, 2017). However, despite the passing of eight years, no new law has been enacted, owing to the numerous changes in the Education Ministry leadership. Devendra Poudel, the education minister in 2079 (2023), had finalized the bill, but it faced setbacks when the government experienced a change.
The Ministry of Education has been diligently working on advancing the bill since 2072 (2015). In 2074 (2018), under the leadership of K.P. Sharma Oli’s government, a high-level education commission was formed to propose suggestions and amendments to the Education Act. The commission, chaired by then Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel, submitted its report to the government on Magh 1, 2075 (January 14, 2019). However, the report has not been made public to date. During Pokharel’s tenure, the draft of the education bill was already prepared.
Education Ministry spokesperson Dipak Sharma explained that the bill was returned to the Ministry of Education due to changes in the government and ministers. The Education Act was amended for the tenth time in 2028 (2011), and now it has been stuck in the process of implementation. Some teachers criticize the present law, claiming that it obstructs the implementation of the right to education as guaranteed by the constitution. Under the current education structure, schools can only offer education up to grade 8 without charging any fees. Moreover, teachers have raised concerns about the lack of coherence in teacher management even after the start of classes. The bill addresses these issues by proposing the establishment of permanent internal competition, segregating schools’ management according to the Local Level, Province, and Federal Level.
The 9th (13th in the current structure) Education Commission has faced challenges concerning the implementation of work as per the Constitution’s Schedule 8 and 9. While some advocate for expanding school education up to grade 12 in accordance with Schedule 8, others prefer following the federal, provincial, and local community structure. The bill includes provisions for grade 12 education as per Schedule 8 and addresses the matter of schoolteacher management. Teachers working with minimum wage have expressed discontent with the agreement reached by the ministry with the teachers’ organization, and this concern has been acknowledged in the bill as well.
