Kathmandu, April 21:

Operators of the private schools, higher secondary schools and colleges last evening discussed the country’s changed political scenario and the impact it might have on their business.

“We reviewed the scenario of the education sector of the country in the changed political context,” said Umesh Shrestha, former president of Private and Boarding Schools Organisation of Nepal (PABSON).

Shrestha said there was nothing to be terrorised about and the private school owners have taken the situation easily.

“I am optimistic,” he said, adding: “We don’t expect that our schools will close down or be nationalised in the near future.”

“It is not an easy task for any political party to bring drastic changes in the education sector, which has 30 per cent stake, with two million students and two lakh teaching and non-teaching staff,” he said.

“If private schools are closed a large number of students would have to go abroad for quality education,” he said.

He, however, was of the view that the private sector should also consider making education within the reach of the have nots and work in coordination with all political parties.

General Secretary of National Private and Boarding Schools Association Nepal (NPABSON) Ritu Raj Subedi accused the All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) for not informing NPABSON about their plan of action.

“The 19-point agreement states that a monitoring committee would be formed to sort out any problem plaguing the education sector,” he said.

Meanwhile, NPABSAN has directed all its district chapters to come up with written comments and reports of the developments in the districts in the changed political context.

Subedi said the reports would be discussed in the upcoming meeting of the central committee to be held a week later.