KATHMANDU, JULY 5
The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology has issued the 'Traditional Educational Institution (Operation and Management) Standard, 2022' to operate, manage, and regulate gurukul/ashrams, gompa/bihars, and madarsas in an effective manner by aligning them to the national education system.
The standard also aims to protect the traditional education system through effective distribution and utilisation of grants to be provided to them. The standard was recently approved by the Council of Ministers. It has laid down the bases of establishment and operation of traditional educational institutions.
Some of the key bases include protection of traditionally operated educational programmes, bringing them to mainstream education system by maintaining their typical module, making them equivalent to formal education as per national standard, managing the grants to be provided to such traditional educational institutions, systematising permission and regulation through local levels, utilising them for overall development of the country, and maintaining financial discipline through participatory management.
The standard imposes restriction on establishment and operation of traditional education institutions without obtaining permission from the local level under the existing laws.
"Any institution wishing to provide traditional education shall obtain permission along with declaration for compliance of the provisions stated in the existing laws and rules," it says. Even institutions providing traditional education before the implementation of this standard should submit their details and necessary documents to the local level for updating. It requires the local level to forward a copy of such details to the Education and Human Resource Development Centre through Education Development and Coordination Unit.
The standard has also listed the minimum physical infrastructure to be developed by traditional education institutions to be eligible to obtain permission for their establishment and operation.
Traditional educational institutions may also be established and operated as a trust.
Similarly, traditional educational institutions are not allowed to add grades without obtaining permission from the local level under the existing laws and rules.
Such institution will also be required to form an educational institution operation and management committee.
It should have members as provisioned in the local law.
"Traditional educational institutions shall conduct teaching-learning activities by incorporating subjects of religious and cultural importance as per their nature in line with the national curriculum design. Final examinations of basic level and secondary level shall be conducted as prescribed by the local level and National Education Board, respectively," the standard says.
According to the standard, the federal government may provide certain amount to such institutions as grant on the recommendation of the Education and Human Resource Development Centre considering the number of students, curriculum and geographical location. The standard also requires traditional education institutions to get the statement of their income and expenditure audited under the prevailing laws.
The standard prohibits such institutions to accept any cash and goods in-kind from foreign persons, institutions, agencies or countries without prior approval of the Ministry of Finance.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 6, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
