KATHMANDU, Sept 1: Thousands of school buses circled Kathmandu’s Ring Road on Monday as private school operators intensified their protest against the School Education Bill.
The rally, involving what organizers claimed were around 7,000 school buses, caused major traffic disruptions across the federal capital.
Private schools stage peaceful demonstration against Education...
The protest was jointly organized by leading private school associations, including PABSON, N-PABSON, HISSAN, APEN and NMA, all of which have voiced strong objections to several provisions of the bill endorsed by the Parliament’s Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee. The bill is set to be tabled in Parliament on September 11.
Private schools, which have been protesting since July 14, are demanding two major revisions in the Bill. First, they oppose the requirement to provide 15 percent of students with full scholarships, arguing they can only sustain a 10 percent quota covering monthly, annual and examination fees—not additional costs such as uniforms and textbooks. Second, they strongly reject the provision mandating that private schools eventually convert into non-profit institutions.
“These two demands are not difficult for the government to fulfill,” said PABSON Chair Krishna Gyanwali. “Our protest will not subside until our concerns are addressed.” He warned of intensified demonstrations on September 10 and 11, coinciding with the bill’s tabling in Parliament.
Nepal has about 13,000 private schools, serving roughly 3 million students and employing nearly half a million teachers. Private schools claim a 90 percent pass rate, accounting for 34 percent of the country’s total student population.
