They do have a point

This refers to the news report “DoE throws the book at errant schools” (THT, April 27). It’s surprising that 45 per cent of private schools are yet to submit their fee structures to the

Department of Education. The fee structures are supposed to be submitted at the DoE two months prior to the start of academic year. While the private schools have cried themselves hoarse over the Maoist plan to do away with school fees till the secondary level, a

recent DoE statement clearly shows that nearly half the number of boarding schools are cheating students and parents in the name of quality education.

Whether one agrees with the Maoists or not, the party does have a point when it says that many private schools are running educational establishments more as business ventures than centres for quality education.

Abhishek Upadhyay,

via e-mail

Treachery

After 15 years at the helm of CPN-UML, General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal has finally stepped down from the top post. Meanwhile, his party is still unsure about joining the soon-to-be-formed government. If indeed the UML stays out, it will be a treacherous act against the Nepali people. I do not believe that UML defeat in the recent polls can be termed a ‘loss’ when it has emerged as the third largest party in the Constituent Assembly.

Prior to the election, speculations were rife as to whether the seven party unity would remain intact after the CA polls. This suspicion appears to be well founded now, as divisions have become obvious in the alliance after the election outcome. If the whole burden of running the

country is put on the shoulders of the Maoists, how can the parties still claim unity and to be working for the common cause of building a new Nepal?

Dwaipayan Regmi,

Biratnagar

It works

Apropos of the news report “‘Oil for education’ programme turns into a farce!” (THT, April 25), I agree with the report to the extent that the oil for education programme launched in the far western region has turned into a bit of a farce. Parents seem happy to see their daughters go to school even if the kids keep failing and have to repeat the same classes so long as they bring home their quota of oil.

Having said that, the programme has also made girls’ access to education in rural areas so much easier. Just because some parents are sending their daughters to school purely for the sake of oil does not imply the whole programme is a failure. Far from it. Instead, I would advocate that similar programmes be launched all over Nepal.

Padam Raj Paneru, Dhangadhi

Not right

I was outraged when I saw on television some youngsters vandalising statues of Prithvi Narayan Shah. Why should the country’s founding father be liable for the errors of the present king? It was Prithvi Narayan Shah who unified all the small kingdoms into one Nepal. Were it not for him, there would have been no Nepal. The British would have captured the territories quite easily. Let us learn to respect our ancestors who did so much for the cause of our country.

Vibek Manandhar, Bafal, Kathmandu