Education Secretary States Budget Prioritizes Local Levels

Kathmandu. Education Secretary Chudmani Poudel has stated that the budget for the upcoming fiscal year is being prepared by giving high priority to the provinces and especially to the local levels.

Speaking at a meeting of the Development, Economic Affairs and Good Governance Committee, he informed that the budget is being prepared with national plans and policies as the main basis, and that approximately 70 percent of the total budget for the education sector will be directly transferred to the local levels through financial transfer.

According to Secretary Poudel, the School Sector Reform Program is being given special priority in the upcoming budget, and efforts are being made to fully coordinate policies and budget with the 16th Five-Year Plan. Clarifying the policy basis and distribution of budget preparation, Secretary Poudel said, 'We have our School Sector Reform Program, which is a 10-year plan. We take that as a baseline. The 16th Five-Year Plan is also used as another important basis. Also, documents like the Compulsory and Free Education Act, rules, etc., are taken as major policy bases. Efforts are being made to coordinate the budget with the policies and programs of the upcoming fiscal year as much as possible. In this regard, a large share is arranged to go to the provinces and especially to the local levels while preparing the budget. Approximately 70 percent of the budget goes to the local levels through financial transfer.'

According to Secretary Poudel, the Ministry of Education is preparing to allocate the budget by coordinating all policies and programs in the education sector with long-term plans and legal provisions and giving them due priority in the budget. He stated that the central government has adopted a policy of financially strengthening the local levels for the management and quality improvement of lower-level schools.