Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Private school operators have warned of protest if provisions againt private schools in the School Education Bill are not revised.
Organizing a joint press meet in Kathmandu, four representative bodies of private schools — the Private and Boarding Schools’ Organization Nepal (PABSON), the Higher Secondary Schools’ Association Nepal (HISSAN), the National Private and Boarding Schools’ Association Nepal (National PABSON), and the National Private and Boarding Schools’ Association (N-PABSON) — have demanded the removal of the provision that proposes making private schools non-profit entities from the Bill.
They have also called for the removal of the term “full scholarship” from the Bill, stating that private schools will continue to allocate 10% of their total seats for scholarship. They have maintained that only the admission fee, annual fee and monthly tuition fees will be covered under the scholarship.
“If our demands are not addressed by Wednesday, we will be forced to launch protests from Thursday,” read the statement issued by the four associations of private schools.
PABSON General Secretary RB Katwal said in the press meet that the government should either nationalize private schools or implement a voucher system allowing students to choose their schools that if there is distrust toward the private sector.
The private school operators argued that the proposal to register private schools as a non-profit entity contradicts legal provisions under the Companies Act, 2001, which governs their operations. They claimed that the proposal to cover examination fees, textbook and uniform costs, and transportation fees under scholarship is investment-unfriendly, impractical and intended to dismantle private education.
According to Katuwal, laws that fail to create an investment-friendly education policy will hinder the country’s development and discourage investors. “Shifting responsibilities that fall under the state’s mandate onto the private sector is unacceptable to us,” Katuwal added.
