Parties agree to prioritize School Education Bill in budget session

KATHMANDU: Major political parties have reached an understanding of passing the School Education Bill as soon as it is tabled in the House of Representatives.

The consensus was reached during a discussion held by Speaker Devraj Ghimire with the chief whips of major political parties at Singha Durbar on Wednesday, according to CPN-UML Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula.

Bartaula added that the government will present its policies and programs on May 2, and then make efforts to finalize some important bills. According to Bartaula, top leaders will address the first meeting of the House of Representatives on April 25.

The upcoming session of the House of Representatives will hold meetings every day except on Saturdays and public holidays, as proposed by Speaker Ghimire.

Nepali Congress (NC) Chief Whip Shyam Ghimire said that a calendar based on the consensus reached on Wednesday will be presented at the Business Advisory Committee meeting on April 25. He added that political parties have reached an understanding to prioritize the School Education Bill once it is tabled.

The Confederation of Nepali Teachers (CNT) has been staging a Kathmandu-centric protest for the past three weeks, demanding immediate passage of the School Education Bill. The protest has already resulted in the postponement of the annual examinations of Grade 12 scheduled to begin on Thursday.

The CNT has also instructed its members not to evaluate answer sheets of the Secondary Education Examination (SEE).