Kathmandu, February 17

Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission Swarnim Wagle has said that setting the educational agenda has been a great challenge in the country.

Speaking at the 18th Annual General Meeting of Educational Journalist Group here today, he said the government had to give priority to education.

“The quality of education should be improved now that the local levels are responsible for handling and managing school education,” he said.

Around 40 per cent of budget is being sent to the local levels and preparations are also on to hand over different projects currently being handled by different non-governmental organisations to the local levels.

Similarly, former education minister Dhaniram Paudel said despite the handover of the education system to the local levels, the Ministry of Education, Department of Education and district education offices should handle the education system.

Madhu Prasad Regmi, secretary at the Ministry of Education, said 23 responsibilities of the education sector had been given to the local levels without hampering the educational system.

As all the basic and secondary schools are being handled by the local levels it will be easy to manage resources for the education sector from local resources, he added.

On the occasion, Mathura Yadav principal of Tribeni Primary School, Rupandehi, and Devi Khadka Pokhrel, member of School Management Committee of Kamala Secondary School, Sindhuli were honored at the programme.