Kathmandu, June 28: Spurred by violent Maoist protests earlier this year demanding sweeping reforms in the education sector, a commission Wednesday recommended Sanskrit should be optional and not a compulsory subject in schools as demanded by the leftists. Nepali and English will be compulsory from grade 1 while teaching in mother tongue will also be optional, the recommendation said.

Another recommendation says all schools, community or corporate, should follow curriculum and textbooks prescribed by the government. Schools have been categorized as community and corporate schools; community schools have been sub-divided into government financed and self funded institutions. Primary education will be free and compulsory at community schools that have been debarred from charging fees, security deposits or examination fees.

The five member committee headed by Dr.Nirmal Prasad Pandey recommended a three percent increase in annual government investment in the education sector to 17 percent yearly disbursements while presenting its report to Education Minister Amod Prasad Upadhaya. The committee began work May 29 and presented a set of 17 recommendations in its 75 page
report. Licenses will be issued to teachers by the National Teachers’ Service Commission to stop frauds operating as teachers, another recommendation said.

Altogether 46,000 kindergartens will be developed for children below five years of age. Ten percent of students at the lower and primary levels in community schools and five percent students in corporate schools should be covered by a scholarship scheme, another recommendation said. The
suggestions are to be implemented in three phases spreading over several years. Rationalization of school fees at corporate schools have been suggested.