Kathmandu, February 19

Although the first meeting of the KP Sharma Oli-led government decided to build technical institutes in all local levels within two years, experts said this work did not fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

Schedule-8 of the constitution states that basic and secondary education comes under the  jurisdiction of the local level.

Chief of the now defunct local level restructuring commission Balananda Paudel said the federal government could only promote, encourage or facilitate the provincial and local governments to establish technical institutes and industrial villages.

“Common understanding should be forged to sort out confusion regarding jurisdiction of local levels, provincial and federal governments,” said Paudel. He said that elected representatives of local levels, provincial government, federal government and even the leaders of political parties are confused about the jurisdictions of separate state organs.

Paudel said that confusion regarding jurisdiction could be resolved by holding joint-meetings of local level representatives, representatives of provincial government, federal government, policy makers and experts.

Sunil Ranjan Singh, a member of the now defunct LLRC said  there was no confusion in the constitution and laws regarding the jurisdiction of the federal government, provincial government and local levels.

“There is no confusion in the constitution and laws, but local government, provincial government and federal government are confused about their jurisdiction,” said Singh.

He said the central government could provide financial and technical support to provincial government and local levels or it could directly invest in local levels to establish technical institutes and industrial villages and hand over its management to them.

He said the local levels could own those institutes and industrial villages from the central government by making laws. According to Singh, nothing was clearly mentioned about technical institutes and industrial villages in the laws.

He said the federal government’s decision to establish technical institutes and industrial villages in all local levels should not be taken otherwise, as it was for the betterment of the country and people.

CPN-UML leader Bishnu Rimal said PM Oli’s announcement that technical vocational training centres would be established in all local levels throughout the country was as per the left alliance polls manifesto. “The government would facilitate local and provincial government, if it could not directly set up those institutions,” said Rimal. He said that the PM’s announcement was as per the party’s decision to make the country prosperous within a few years.