Kathmandu, June 6 :

Following a cabinet decision yesterday, the government today formed a 13-member Education Policy Suggestion Committee under the coordination of Education Minister Dr Mangal Siddi Manandhar. The committee has officials of the Finance Ministry,

National Planning Commission, the Local Development Ministry and other line ministries as

its members.

Laba Prasad Tripathee, joint secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), said the committee would provide suggestions to the ministry on reforms that should be carried out in the changed context and on amendments that should be made in educational policies.

Most of the educational programmes are in limbo as previous ordinances been scrapped after the cabinet decision on May 7. The positions of vice-chancellors, rectors, registrars of universities and chairman of the University Grants’ Commission have been lying vacant due to the confusion over the King’s role in their appointment. The MoES also formed a nine-member team today under the coordination of Laba Prasad Tripathee to hold dialogues for uplifting the quality of education, addressing teachers’ quota problem and making education accessible.

The team has four members from the Education ministry and five from the teachers’ union. The committee has been given a mandate of two years.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Education and Sports also stated that scholarships would be provided to the offspring of martyrs. While every child of a martyr studying in primary or pre-primary level will get Rs 1,000 every month, Rs 1,500 will be given to each of martyrs’ children studying in lower secondary or secondary level. Rs 2,000 will be given to every offspring of a martyr studying in the higher secondary level. Offspring of martyrs studying in universities will also be given scholarships.

According to the Department of Education (DoE), the students must get recommendation letters, which verify their relation with the martyrs, from the District Administration Office. The District Education Office or the Department of Education will provide scholarships only upon receiving the letters.