Kathmandu, June 15:During discussions on the appropriation heads under the Ministry of Education and Sports held at the meeting of the House of Representatives today, Dr. Mangal Siddhi Manandhar of the CPN-UML, Renu Kumari Yadav of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Hridayesh Tripathi of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) and MP Lila Mani Pokharel tabled a resolution to curtail the expenditure of the ministry by Rs 100.

Moving the resolution, Dr. Manandhar spoke on the present educational scenario, condition of the educational institutions and the system of education in the country stating that if the population of Nepal was considered to be 22.4 million, more than 10 million of the people were illiterate and the percentage of literacy in the country was 52.6.

Stating that there was no budgetary provision to launch literacy campaign for the overall development of the educational sector, and compulsory education stated in the Ninth Plan had been removed, he said that as no amount had been allocated for children education, Rs 920 million should be allocated for this purpose.

Likewise, Renu Kumari Yadav of the RPP also moved the resolution to curtail the expenditure of the ministry and referred to the inconsistencies in the education sector including difference between the public and private schools, politicisation of education, availability of abundant counterfeit certificates, declining standard of the public schools, etc. and said that the expenditures on the appropriation heads concerning to the Ministry of Education and Sports be curtailed.

Hridayesh Tripathi of the NSP also moved the resolution concerning curtailing the expenditure and said that there was nothing new in the budgetary allocation in the Ministry of Education and followed the conventional pattern.

Demanding uniformity in the educational programme of the private and public schools, and implementation of the report of the national education commission, he suggested that children should be provided primary education in their respective mother tongues and 386 Madarsas should also be given subsidies like public schools and linked to the national education system.

Ratna Prasad Neupane of the CPN-UML said that technical schools should be opened, the number of posts of teacher created on the basis of classes, and at least one lady teacher should be provided in every school of the districts to vocationalise the educational sector.

Ram Kumar Chaudhari of the Nepali Congress suggested that there should be well-equipped schools in every parliamentary constituency and resources centres established on the basis of the number of schools for improving the educational standard. He demanded that appointment of campus chief at Rajbiraj be made without any discrimination.

Kunta Sharma of the CPN-UML alleged that the educational policy was such that it caused class segregation; schools were in short of posts and physical facilities; education offices were not dynamic and rampant corruption was taking place in education sector.

Haribhakta Adhikari of the Nepali Congress said that the educational system should be vocationalised and those making contributions to the concerned schools and concerned guardians should be nominated to the school management committees and provisions for playground be made for development of sports.

Meanwhile, the meeting today of the High Level Problems Resolution Committee constituted under the convenorship of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Development Ramchandra Poudel discussed different current issues.

Special invitee Home Minister Govindaraj Joshi, Committee members Minister for Information and Communications Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta, CPN-UML’s K.P. Sharma Oli, chief whip Bharatmohan Adhikari, Public Accounts Committee Chairman Subash Nemwang, RPP’s general secretary and MP Pashupati Shumsher JB Rana and MP Krishna Charan Shrestha, MP Nawaraj Subedi of Rastriya Janamorcha, president of NWPP and MP Narayanman Bijukchhe and MP Lilamani Pokhrel of Samyukta Janamorcha were present at the meeting.

Presenting the proposal to curtail the expenses of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Lilamani Pokharel of the Samyukta Janamorcha said the literacy rate and the per cent of budgetary allocation in education sector is the lowest in South Asia.

The government bodies have presented false data on literacy and kept the people in dark and the literacy growth rate is very nominal.

Mr Pokharel said the education policy has encouraged the access of the elite rather than the masses to education, the government has failed to focus on the welfare of the farmers in education system, education has been made a commodity that can be purchased and sold, the education policy is impractical, unproductive and unscientific and will not be helpful for the progress of the country.

MP Pokharel said privatisation in education sector has created different classes of people, the poor have no access to education, the education policy has kept both the tiger and the goat in the same cage, and there are rampant cases of corruption.

Homnath Dahal of the Nepali Congress stressed the need to enforce a separate national education policy which can meet the needs and challenges of the country.

The academic institutions should be kept free of politics, he said, adding that the primary education should be given priority. The provision made to keep woman teacher in each secondary school, provide computer education in 25 schools, and open boarding schools in the remote district are laudable steps, he added.

Nawaraj Subedi of the Rastriya Janamorcha said the education policy should be able to produce skilled manpower, build characters of the citizens, and serve the masses, the environment should be such that it should attract the teachers for qualitative development of education, he said, adding that transparent and impartial policies should be pursued in the appointment, transfer and promotion of teachers, and the technical and vocational education should be given emphasis.

Narayan Man Bijukchhe of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party said the government should be sensitive for qualitative development of education, it should be free of politics, the district education officers should be given freedom, the government should control the anomalies in higher education and be serious about the difference in academic sessions of the private and public schools. Emphasis should be given to development of sports, he added.

Omprasad Ojha of the CPN-UML said the budget allocated is minimal, education should be employment oriented, comprehensive reforms should be made check educational anarchy, the appointment, transfer and promotion of teachers and consent of schools should be made transparent, arrangement should be made for teaching in native languages, text books should be available in time, and the Dalits and women should be provided education.

Govinda Bikram Shaha of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party said the budget for development of sports should be increased, sports programmes should be organised on regular basis, academic institutions should be made free from politics, the gap between the public and the private schools should be ended and the filling of vacant posts of teachers should be made impartially.

Mrs. Sabitri Bogati (Pathak) of the Nepali Congress said education should be available to all, the basic and primary education project and the secondary education project should be made more effective, the government should be more serious on reforming the Higher Educational Council and a women teacher should be appointed in all the lower secondary schools.

CPN-UML’s Kamal Prakash Sunwar, Til Kumar Meyangbo and Gorakh Bahadur Bogati were of the view that the budget does not give priority to education, a separate commission should be constituted to solve problems in the education sector, emphasis should be given to providing primary education in mother languages, attention should be given towards making primary education free in practise and make temporary teachers permanent.

RPP’s Netralal Shrestha said education should be free from politics, posts for teachers should be increased in the remote districts and emphasis should be given to vocational education.

Likewise, NC MPs Ramjanam Chaudhary, Narayan Prakash Saud and Ram Chandra Tiwari pointed out the need to enhance the literacy rate of the country, expand technical education throughout the country, and increase budget for sports. Education should not only be made employment-oriented but for making students disciplined also.

CPN-UML’s Shankernath Sharma Adhikari said free education has not yet been put into practise, schools building are in a dilapidated condition and the present budget does not include any programme to solve problems of the education sector.