Madhyapur Thimi, May 13, 2007

The government has made it mandatory for all coaching and tuition centres to take permission from the District Education Offices concerned before running the centres.

The new provision comes in the wake of voices being raised against many such centres for allegedly duping students.

As per the provision enforced by the Ministry of Education and Sports effective this academic year, all existing coaching and tuition centres will also have to register themselves at the DEOs by the second week of June.

Guidelines have also been introduced with a view to making education at the centres systematic and transparent, bringing such centres under legal parameters and breaking the existing trend of charging exorbitant fees, the Director of the Department of Education, Mahashram Sharma, said today.

As per the new provision, a coaching centre must deposit Rs 50,000 and a tuition centre Rs 15,000 with the government. While the DEOs would determine fees to be charged by the centres, the latter must also audit their accounts every year.

On the recommendation of the DEOs, the centres must also reserve 5 per cent of the seats for the disabled, women, dalits and those from the backward communities and provide them with free services.

28 injured as Maoists clash with cops

Nepalgunj, May 13, 2007

At least 28 persons were injured when Maoists, who were defying prohibitory orders, clashed with the police here today. Police intervened in a rally taken out by activists of the Maoist-aligned Tharuwan Mukti Morcha, the Madhesi Mukti Morcha and the Young Communist League as it entered the prohibitory zone.

The District Administration Office (Banke) has issued prohibitory orders in the DAO and its adjoining areas from May 9 to May 24 after Maoist cadres stormed into the DAO and the Land Reforms Office recently. While the Maoist district in- harge, Athak, said at least 20 activists were injured in the clash, police said three policemen and five personnel of the Armed Police Force were also injured in the melee. Police baton-charged and teargassed the protesters after they set foot on the prohibited area and pelted the police with stones, Banke DSP Kuber Kathayat said.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference organised by the Maoists, Athak accused the administration of suppressing the rally which was meant to be a peaceful one. He said the rally was taken out with a view to pressurising the government to announce a date for the constituent assembly elections and to demand the House declare the country a republic.

Athak said police also detained Maoist MPs Purna Subedi and Ram Charan Chaudhari and roughed them up. In Kathmandu, the Chief Whip of the Maoist Parliamentary Party, Dinanath Sharma, condemned the police action on the rally.