Education Minister Announces Objective Assessment of School Infrastructure for Budget Planning

Kathmandu. Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Sasmita Pokharel, has stated that an objective assessment of the physical infrastructure of schools across the country will be conducted to make the upcoming fiscal year's budget systematic and scientific. Speaking at a meeting of the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee held at Singha Durbar on Tuesday, he informed that a master plan will be prepared based on the actual condition of the schools and accordingly. According to Minister Pokharel, in the upcoming fiscal year, in collaboration with local levels, a detailed study of the physical infrastructure and human resources of all schools across the country will be conducted. Under this program, data will be collected on aspects such as school classrooms, student numbers, open spaces, toilets, laboratories, and available area per student. He also mentioned that the condition of desks-benches, whiteboards, and smart boards, as well as the teacher-student ratio, will be analyzed in detail. In the meeting, Minister Pokharel said, 'We will identify the current status and needs of the schools. A certain standard will be prepared based on the national building code, education policy, and international practices. Based on that standard, a 'master plan' for school development will be created and the budget will be systematically mobilized.' Speaking about the reform of universities, Minister Pokharel clarified that the concept of open competition for the appointment of office bearers has been put forward to free higher education from political interference and promote professionalism. Informing that open applications have been called for positions such as Vice-Chancellor to attract qualified and academic personalities to the leadership of the university, he stated that ensuring an academic environment is the ministry's priority. He said that the plan to bring qualified individuals to leadership is currently in the implementation phase.