Kathamandu, December 25

The High level education commission has notified government through a study report that private schools should not be allowed to make more than 20 per cent profit from its total income. It also told the government to take measures to enhance the education result of public school to end the disparity among teaching institutes.

The commission has stated that private educational institutions should spend 60 per cent of their income on teachers and faculty and should allocate 20 per cent for infrastructural development of the institution and keep the remaining 20 per cent as profit.

Similarly, public schools with rich infrastructure but very few students should let private investors manage the school to provide free education to needy students.

The Cabinet, on September 4, had formed an 11-member commission giving it the mandate to study and make a masterplan to bring about educational reforms and improvements in the structures of educational institutions in the provinces as the country had entered the federal republic system of governance.

The commission has forwarded a fee restructuring plan limiting the profit margin, so as to help reduce the gap between the private and community education systems. It has also proposed a plan to increase the quality of public teaching in institutions by gradually replacing private institutions with public institutions within 12 years.

Member of the commission and educationist Bidhya Nath Koirala said the government should work with both private and public institutions to maintain equity among students of different backgrounds. Koirala said, “While the government should support private institutions to turn them into non-profit organisations, and encourage greater integration, it should also foster public institutions by providing facilities and improving the education standard to attract more students.”

The commission has also suggested that local governments be given complete authority to fix the fee structure of colleges and schools. “We have also included the promises that the major parties had made in the recent elections in their manifesto, so let’s hope these plans will be applied accordingly,” educationist Koirala said.

The local government, according to the report, should take aptitude test of students every six months on the basis of their capacity, knowledge and skills. The government then is expected to work accordingly to support weak public and private institutions.

The government had demanded submission of an in-depth study report related to 10 aspects of education. The commission has submitted the first draft of the report that deals with these aspects.

The report has also stated that schools for children of diplomats living in Nepal must be for a certain period of time and Nepali students should not be allowed to join classes in these schools. Similarly, schools in the country should not be allowed to take in foreign investment and run foreign curriculum.

The report has said that local levels should make it mandatory to integrate native language classes in the school level. Similarly, religious schools like Madrasas, Gumbas and Gurukuls should also include regular academic classes.