Supreme Court Issues Interim Order Halting Early Admissions in Private Schools

Kathmandu. The Supreme Court has issued an interim order to private schools, prohibiting them from initiating admission processes for the new academic session before the completion of annual examinations. A single bench of Supreme Court Justice Balkrishna Dhakal issued the order.

The writ petition was filed by Ayush Badal and Akash Dhakal, students at the Kathmandu University School of Law.

The petition named the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, PABSON, N-PABSON, and the local governments of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur as defendants.

The Education Regulations (Tenth Amendment), 2077, and local education management regulations clearly stipulate that new admission processes must only begin after the publication of annual examination results. However, several prominent schools in the Kathmandu Valley have been conducting entrance exams, distributing forms, and accepting admissions within the month of Chaitra.

The petition specifically alleges that schools including Galaxy Public School in Gyaneshwor, Little Angels' School in Lalitpur, Rosebud School in Buddhanagar, and Mount Everest School in Bhaktapur have violated the law.

Such actions by schools have placed parents and students under pressure. The petition states, 'By creating fear of limited seats and conducting admissions before exams, parents are forced into making decisions, which has created inequality and a lack of transparency in the education sector.'

The petition claims a violation of Article 18 (Right to Equality), Article 31 (Right to Education), and Article 39 (Right of the Child) of the Constitution of Nepal. The petitioners have demanded that the illegal admission process be annulled through a writ of certiorari and that effective monitoring be established through a writ of mandamus to prevent such actions in the future.

Furthermore, a request was made to issue an interim order under the Supreme Court Rules to immediately halt all ongoing admissions, notices, and entrance examinations until the final resolution of the case.