Biratnagar, December 14

Minister of Education, Science and Technology Girirajmani Pokhrel today said education should be linked to production and development.

Speaking at a press meet organised by Press Organisation Morang in Biratnagar, Minister Pokhrel said failure to link education with production had reduced the quality of community schools.

He pledged to strengthen community schools by linking them to job market and production cycle. Minister Pokhrel cited an example of a school in Surkhet that produced honey and supplied it to Soaltee Hotel in Kathmandu.

“If we connect schools with production, they will be empowered,” Pokhrel said. He said the government would provide physical structure, teachers and other necessary facilities to strengthen community schools across the country. He added that the government was planning to merge those schools with few students and operate residential schools for quality and standard learning. “Schools having a few students in mountain and hilly regions should be merged and residential schools have to be run to educate children from far-flung areas,” he added.

Minister Pokhrel said his ministry had made public the National Education Policy after 20 months of intensive study, discussion and consultations.

He claimed the new national education policy would have long term positive impact in the sector of education.

Pokhrel said the government was preparing to table three bills on education in the winter session of the House of Representatives. “We shall table Bill on Higher Education, Bill on Common Education and Bill on Technical Education in the Parliament in its winter session,” said Pokhrel.

Minister Pokhrel acknowledged that the government had failed to produce skilled manpower for nation building. He said that national curriculumn should inclulde 70 per cent technical education.