Himal Press 
This combo photo shows Education Minister Raghuji Pant (left) and NC Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire.
KATHMANDU: The fate of the School Education Bill has become uncertain, as the latest meeting of the parliamentary Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee ended inconclusively on Monday.
The Bill, which was expected to pass by Sunday as per the government’s commitment to the Confederation of Nepalese Teachers (CNT), now appears unlikely to move forward anytime soon.
While consensus has been reached on most provisions of the Bill, lawmakers still have different views on the status of early childhood education (ECE), benefits for teachers working in ECE, the process of regularizing temporary teachers and the proposal to transition private schools into trusts or companies, among others.
The committee was preparing to finalize these issues and forward the bill to the House of Representatives. However, during the discussion on Monday, Minister for Education, Science and Technology Raghuji Pant requested a pause in the legislative process, citing the complexity of the situation. Following his request, Committee Chairperson Ammar Bahadur Thapa announced that the meeting would be postponed until further notice.
Minister Pant made the request after holding separate discussions with the CNT representatives as well as Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba.
NC Chief Whip and Committee Member Shyam Kumar Ghimire challenged the minister to pass the bill despite his party’s strong objections. He accused the government of conspiring to push the bill forward. “Who pressured you into this decision?” Was it the Teachers’ Federation?” he questioned.
Pant later said he cannot ignore the concerns raised by the NC. “Since the Chief Whip of the largest party in parliament has expressed concerns, I must take that into account,” Pant said in the meeting.
Ghimire also defended his party’s proposal for a 60/40 quota to regularize temporary teachers—60% internal competition, 40% open—saying he personally supports broader open competition. He warned that the NC would not back the bill in its current form.
The decision to postpone the meeting, meanwhile, triggered widespread dissatisfaction among lawmakers. Gyanu Basnet of CPN (Maoist Center) objected to the decision to delay the session at the last minute. She expressed concern about behind-the-scenes maneuvering under the CNT’s name.
Prabhu Hajara of CPN-UML accused the NC of deliberately stalling the Bill by sending its Chief Whip to the committee. “We should pass the Bill today, but not through secret deals,” he added.
Former Education Minister Bidya Bhattarai said the constant back-and-forth on key provisions in the Bill has raised doubts about the government’s intentions. “If the government keeps bowing to interest groups, it will erode the dignity of parliament,” she warned.
Similarly, Sarita Bhusal of UML said halting proceedings based on the opinion of a single member was unacceptable. “What if I propose to stall the next meeting? Will we keep bending like this?” she questioned.
Dig Bahadur Limbu of the NC urged the committee to avoid further delays on the Bill. “We can’t please everyone. What began as a nine-point agreement has now ballooned into 27 points. This can’t go on—we must conclude it today,” he added.
Maoist Center’s Devendra Paudel blamed the government for the last-minute deadlock. “Today was the deadline to submit the Bill to parliament. But the government is still not clear. This reflects the government’s inefficiency,” he added.
Sumana Shrestha of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) accused the government of stalling the Bill and trying to shift blame onto the committee. She also criticized the CNT for weakening its position and said whatever agreements had been reached should be taken directly to the House.
Committee Chair Thapa also said attempts were being made to reverse past agreements. “If the government intends to reverse points that have already been settled, it can withdraw the bill altogether,” he added.
