Nepali Political Parties Prioritize Education Reform in Election Manifestos Amidst Implementation Gaps

Kathmandu. Most political parties, similar to previous elections, have put forward issues such as the reform of public education and increased investment in education as key agendas for the upcoming House of Representatives elections.

Major parties represented in the dissolved House of Representatives and other parties have prioritized quality, free, and inclusive education. These parties have incorporated the right mentioned in Article 31 of the Constitution of Nepal, which states, 'Every citizen shall have the right to basic education that is compulsory and free up to the secondary level,' into their manifestos. However, parties are not clear on why such commitments made in the past were not fulfilled and how they plan to achieve them now.

According to government statistics, about 10 percent (nearly eight lakh) of children aged 5 to 17 are still out of school access. Of these, three and a half lakh children have not been enrolled in schools. The rest drop out midway. While the 'Compulsory and Free Education Act, 2075' stipulates that individuals who have not completed Grade 8 by Baisakh 2085 will be deprived of government appointments, facilities, etc., parties have reiterated their promises to provide free education to voters.

In this election cycle, the Nepali Congress, in its manifesto, has mentioned passing a new School Education Act within one year of the next House of Representatives.

Due to the tug-of-war between teacher unions, organizations, private schools, and political parties, along with insufficient resources, school education remained under deliberation in the dissolved parliament for a long time. The Congress has promised to pass a new Education Act within one year, focusing on student learning and quality, incorporating all legitimate and appropriate matters, based on consultations with stakeholders and free from the pressure of any vested interest group, concerning the School Education (Quality and Regulation) Act.

The party has also prioritized girls' education and making the teaching profession respectable.

Similarly, the party has included in its manifesto ensuring 20 percent state investment of the total budget in education, expansion of model schools, curriculum revision, development of reading culture, access to inclusive and equitable education, mother tongue education, technology-friendly, technical and vocational education, and national lifelong learning.

The Congress and the Rastriya Swatantra Party have stated they will remove the Prime Minister, Minister as Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor in universities, while the CPN-UML has emphasized the need for academic autonomy.

The CPN-UML has included in its manifesto provisions such as a 20 lakh interest-free loan for students pursuing technical higher education, guaranteed internship with remuneration, and guaranteed education and experience. CPN-UML's resolution also includes ensuring minimum wages in government service, the private sector, and the teaching profession.

The party has also promised free sanitary pads for all schoolgirls and mid-day meals for students up to Grade 10. CPN-UML stated, "We will end the situation where any child is deprived of school education due to economic, geographical, or physical conditions, and any adolescent is deprived of technical or higher education in the country."

Furthermore, CPN-UML has put forward a plan to orient the education system away from being solely enrollment and exam-centric towards building human resources that can contribute to patriotism, entrepreneurship, social responsibility, innovative thinking, and enhancing national capacity. The party has included in its manifesto a policy to increase state investment in research and development in higher education, expand university-industry collaboration, and introduce policies to attract highly qualified human resources to the teaching profession.

The CPN (Maoist Centre) has given importance to passing the School Education Act through a resolution in the first meeting of the parliament.

The party has announced the formation of a Higher Education Commission by integrating the University Grants Commission and the Medical Education Commission, making it fully autonomous and free from political interference.

The party has prioritized one model smart residential school per municipality, technology-friendly education, and digital literacy. The party's priority is to arrange for the federal government to manage the curriculum and human resource management up to the secondary level, while local governments will manage the physical infrastructure and operation of schools.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party has proposed removing the Prime Minister and Minister of Education from the positions of Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor in universities and completely prohibiting the political affiliation of teachers and professors. RASP, which has adopted a policy to restructure universities to make them research-oriented and employment-focused, has announced simplifying the process for operating affiliated campuses of foreign universities and foreign degree programs in Nepal.

RASP's commitment includes freeing universities and schools from being arenas for partisan political activities, implementing a system based on quality, access, professional development, and clear accountability for public education, restructuring universities to make higher education competitive, research-oriented, and employment-oriented, and making Nepal a center for international education.

Similarly, the Rastriya Janamorcha has stated that unnecessary expenditure on federalism should be cut down to make education free. It stated that education, like health, provided by the state should be life-oriented and employment-generating, and the privatization and commercialization of education must be stopped.

Laxmikishor Subedi, President of the Nepal Teachers' Federation, commented on whether the education issues raised by them materialized as expected. President Subedi said, "Commitments have not materialized in a concrete form regarding our issues: increasing investment for world-class technical education appropriate for the time, passing the School Education Act based on past agreements, and making the teaching profession attractive and respectable."

Loveraj Oli, President of the National Campaign for Education (NCE) Nepal, an organization working in the civil sector for the reform of public education, stated that bringing the commitment to invest 20 percent of the total budget in education and introducing the School Education Act, which has been raised since the past, into the manifesto is positive. President Oli emphasized that the current need is for skill-based education and teacher management, and stressed the need for further clarity on issues such as the jurisdiction of the federal, provincial, and local levels in school operation.