Education Minister Pokharel Holds Talks with Teachers’ Federation on Education Act and Key Issues

Kathmandu: Minister for Education and Sports Sasmita Pokharel held discussions with the president and representatives of the Nepal Teachers’ Federation on the formulation of the Education Act and various issues raised by the federation.

The meeting, held today at the Ministry of Education and Sports in Singha Durbar, focused on expediting the Education Act and resolving issues raised by the federation through bilateral dialogue. The participants also discussed measures needed to ensure the continuity of education for students affected by the recent Bhotekoshi River flood in Rasuwa.

Minister Pokharel said the process of drafting the School Education Act has reached its final stage and assured that remaining issues and suggestions received from stakeholders would be incorporated into the legislation. She said the new Education Act would focus on ensuring quality education and creating an environment where students can receive quality education and opportunities within Nepal.

Emphasizing that all stakeholders must take responsibility for improving school and higher education, Minister Pokharel stressed the need to create quality education and opportunities in the country to encourage students to stay in Nepal. She also highlighted the importance of conducting regular disaster-management drills in schools to ensure students’ safety during emergencies.

The minister’s chief adviser, Shailendra Jha, said the Education Act should be further strengthened to advance school education reform. He emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between the ministry and the Teachers’ Federation to address problems in the education sector.

Joint Secretary at the ministry Shiv Kumar Sapkota said the issues raised by the Teachers’ Federation should be addressed through dialogue, due process and consensus. Federation President Subedi said the concerns raised by teachers could be resolved through dialogue, adding that the Teachers’ Federation would be the happiest if the Education Act were issued at the earliest.

Other officials representing different teachers’ organizations also stressed the need to resolve issues in the education sector through continued dialogue, cooperation and consensus between the ministry and teachers’ organizations. RSS