Government Misses Another Deadline on School Education Bill Amid Growing Pressure
Kathmandu, July 12 — The government has once again failed to meet its self-imposed deadline to endorse the long-pending School Education Bill, despite multiple extensions and mounting pressure from lawmakers and stakeholders.
On July 6, Education Minister Raghuji Pant, backed by Nepali Congress Chief Whip Shyam Ghimire, requested a five-day postponement to resolve disputes with the Nepal Teachers’ Federation. However, as the extended deadline expired on Friday, Minister Pant has now asked for an additional week, marking the fourth deferral of the bill’s endorsement.
Ammar Bahadur Thapa, Chair of the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee of the House of Representatives, expressed strong opposition to further delays. “I am fully against deferring [the process] even by a single day,” Thapa stated, adding that a final consultation among committee members will be held on Sunday, with plans to discuss and vote on the bill by Monday.
Despite the minister’s absence and continued uncertainty, Thapa insists that the committee will not bow to executive pressure or make changes to the core agreements previously reached in a subcommittee. He accused the government of allowing the teachers’ federation to exert undue influence on the legislative process.
Opposition to the delay has also come from within the ruling coalition. Former ministers Rekha Sharma and Devendra Paudel of the CPN (Maoist Centre), and CPN-UML lawmaker and former education minister Bidya Bhattarai, all criticized the latest deferral.
The School Education Bill has already undergone extensive discussions, including more than 1,700 proposed amendments. A subcommittee led by UML lawmaker Chhabilal Bishwakarma had settled most contentious issues, including teachers’ promotion criteria — third-class teachers would be eligible for promotion after 10 years, and second-class after 12 years, provided they score 90 in evaluations. However, the scoring requirement remains under dispute.
The teachers’ federation continues to press for revisions, especially around promotions, leading the government to alter several agreed-upon provisions. This has raised concerns over the growing influence of external pressure on the legislative process.
The bill is considered vital for the full implementation of the Constitution of Nepal, particularly in devolving authority to local governments. A written agreement between chief whips from the ruling and opposition parties had set June 29 as the deadline for the bill’s endorsement — a deadline now long missed.
With no clear resolution in sight, the delay in finalizing the School Education Bill threatens to stall much-needed reforms in Nepal’s education sector and the broader federal governance framework.