KATHMANDU, APRIL 1

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has directed the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology to design a masterplan for the overall development of education sector and utilisation of human resources.

At a programme organised at the official residence of the prime minister to hand over the report with schools selected for the President Educational Reform Programme, Prime Minister Oli asked the ministry to unveil the masterplan reflecting the current state of education, future action plan and employment assessment.

"The government is effortful in formulating the planned programmes as education is taken as the basis of development," he opined.

The prime minister said, "Our education should reach the doorsteps of farmers with life-changing formula and skills. It is necessary to develop our education in order to make citizens capable."

"The government will not let education go backward as capable, qualified and efficient citizens are big assets of the country," he clarified.

PM Oli further said the President Educational Reform Programme would determine the basis for making education system equipped in terms of knowledge and infrastructure.

"The quality of students cannot improve unless the quality of teachers improves. Teachers should transfer knowledge to students in the right way," he opined.

Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Krishna Gopal Shrestha handed over a report, including the bases of selection for the President Educational Reform Programme and a list of selected projects.

He expressed the conviction that the programme would contribute to fulfilling the national aspiration of 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali'.

Ministry Secretary Ram Prasad Thapaliya informed that a total of 6,921 schools had applied for the programme, adding, "Of them, 4,250 schools have been selected."

Director General at the Centre for Education and Human Resource Development, Baikuntha Aryal, said a budget worth Rs 5.65 billion had been allocated for development of physical facilities, including classroom, toilet, information technology, lab, library, new technology, physical infrastructure, data centre, among others, in the selected schools.

At the programme, PM Oli said the government had been initiating new works and plans one after another.


A version of this article appears in the print on April 2, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.