Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Lawmakers held a discussion on the regulation, service standards and long-term role of private schools in Nepal’s education system in the meeting of the Education, Science and Information Technology of the House of Representatives on Thursday.
Participating in the discussion, CPN-UML lawmaker Chhabilal Bishwakarma acknowledged the contribution of private schools and said they cannot be abruptly shut down. “We cannot undervalue the role of private schools. We are in a position to shut them,” he said.
Bishwkarma suggested transforming the ownership of private schools into a trust. “As the quality of community schools improves, the number of private schools will gradually decline,” he added.
Sumana Shrestha of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) proposed that private schools be brought under a new regulatory framework aligned with the constitutional requirement that education be non-profit. “You cannot treat education like selling shoes. The constitution clearly states that education should not be profit-driven,” Shrestha said. “If we cannot uphold this spirit, let’s amend the constitution.”
Shrestha suggested setting a timeline to transform private schools into non-profit, socially-oriented institutions in 15 years. “This is not about nationalising private schools. Let’s make them non-profit,” she added.
Sarita Bhusal of CPN-UML said there must be clear standards on fees, facilities and transparency in private schools. “We need clear benchmarks on how much can be charged and what kind of service conditions must be ensured for teachers and staff of private schools,” she said.
The committee plans to finalise the Bill and forward it to the House of Representatives by Friday. According to Committee Chairperson Ammar Bahadur Thapa, discussions on the contentious issues are nearing conclusion. “There are disagreements over the regulation of private schools, early childhood development (ECD) and management of teachers. Efforts are underway to forge consensus on these issues,” he added.
