Kathmandu, August 18:

Educationists today called on the government to increase investment in the education sector and make it more practical.

Speaking at an interaction organised by the All Nepal Independent Students’ Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), Laxman Rajbanshi, founder of the Siddhartha Banasthali Institute, said, “Making education free and mandatory would not be enough. The government should address other needs of the students, too.”

Stating that the present education system has been producing good-for-nothing manpower, he said, “Education should be focused on utilising natural resources of the country.”

Educationist Padam Khadka called on the government to increase investment in the education sector and let the communities run the schools.

“The present education system gives an impression that it just for hiring some teachers and has nothing to do with students,” Khadka further said.

Umesh Shreshta of the Private and Boarding School Association Nepal said all the political parties should come out with a common stance on education.

“There will be no need of private schools if the government increases investment in the education sector and focuses on improving the quality of education,” he said, adding, “Education should be suitable for the country.

“Education should be practical and useful for life,” central leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Dev Gurung said, adding, “Present education is either idealistic or post-modernist.”

Lekhnath Neupaney, president of the All Nepal Independent Students’ Union-Revolutionary, said, “Education should be divided into two parts — fundamental and higher education. Fundamental education should be made free and higher educational should be divided into two parts — technical and general.”

“Whereas general education would produce manpower for general administration of the country, technical education would produce technical manpower.”