Valley Mayors Forum Criticizes Govt Decision on Sunday School Closures, Cites Rights Infringement

Kathmandu. The Valley Mayors Forum has stated that the central government's decision to close educational institutions on Sundays has curtailed the rights of local levels.

The meeting of the Forum held in Mahalaxmi Municipality, Lalitpur, concluded that the government's decision was against the constitution. The meeting has demanded that the central government withdraw the decision to close schools on Sundays. Chiribabu Maharjan, President of the Mayors Forum and Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City, said that the government's decision has curtailed the constitutional and legal rights of local levels.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the government's decision, he even warned of legal action if necessary. According to the Education Act, schools must operate for 220 days a year. However, he stated that the government's unexpected decision to give a holiday on Sunday has created a situation where teaching and learning will be affected.

He said that the government's decision has made it difficult for schools to operate even for 190 days. He stated that it is against the spirit of the constitution and the Education Act for the central government to publish a notice in the gazette and make a decision when local levels have already prepared their educational calendars. According to him, Schedule 8 of the constitution gives local levels the right to basic education.

Accusing the central government's decision of interfering with the rights of local levels, he said that the secretariat of the Kathmandu Valley Mayors Forum has been tasked with studying this issue to find a solution. He informed that further strategies will be decided after a full-fledged meeting following the study.

Many local levels in the country are still operating schools on Sundays despite the central government's decision. When asked why the municipalities in the valley could not make an immediate decision, Maharjan cited legal complexities. He stated that since the government's decision has been published in the gazette, local levels cannot make a direct decision without studying the legal aspects.

He said, ‘We discussed two issues and made a decision. Number 1 is to urge the government to reconsider the issue of closing schools on Sundays. The Education Act states that schools must be open for 220 days. Accordingly, all schools have prepared their calendars, and with the unexpected decision by the Government of Nepal to also give a holiday on Sunday, teaching and learning of textbooks will not even be for about 190 days. Therefore, the decision is to request the Government of Nepal to reconsider this. This is the inherent right of local municipalities, the right given by the Education Act, to operate for 220 days, which the Government of Nepal has curtailed.’

He further added, ‘According to Schedule 8 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072, the right related to education is given to local municipalities, and since the Government of Nepal has made a decision that creates difficulties in that regard, the decision of the meeting is to find ways to facilitate this and, if that is not the case, to proceed with its management legally. For this, the secretariat of the Kathmandu Valley Mayors Forum will study this and then the Kathmandu Valley Mayors Forum will hold a full-fledged meeting and proceed with a decision from there. And secondly, regarding the buildings under the local municipalities, ward office buildings, as well as our hospital and social welfare related buildings, we have decided to draw the attention of the Government of Nepal to move forward with the process of transferring ownership or managing them from the respective districts once.’

The meeting also demanded that the government transfer the ownership and management of buildings under local levels to the local levels. Mayor Maharjan informed that the meeting decided to draw the government's attention to the transfer of ownership of ward offices, hospitals, and social welfare-related buildings to the local levels.