Prez Bhandari certifies Education Act (Eighth Amendment)

Prakash Silwal (Kathmandu) / June 29: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has today certified the most awaited Education Act (Eighth Amendment), 2073 BS.

President Bhandari certified the Act, passed by the Legislature –Parliament on June 4, at the Rastrapati Bhawan, Sheetal Niwas.

After the certification of the Act, it has paved the way for the organisational change in school sector and addressing the problems of temporary basis teachers. The Act would be a milestone for the school management and quality education to prepare required human resources for the national development.

As per the new Act, education up to class eight has been considered as primary education and education from class 9-12 is known as secondary level education. It has also paved way to run special education, informal education and open education programmes, among others at any community school after putting in place the required infrastructure.

The Act has also provision that institutional schools could only be run as educational guthi and has banned to open new schools under company and cooperative.

National Examinations Board to be formed

The Act would transform Higher Secondary Educational Board into National Examinations Board. With this, School Leaving Certificate examination conducted in class 10 has been scrapped and national examinations would be conducted in class 12.

Post of Vice-Chairman, Chaitanya Sharma and Member-Secretary of the HSEB, Narayan Prasad Koirala, has been automatically scrapped with the certification of the Act.

Educational Quality Test Centre

As per the Act, an Educational Quality Test Centre will be established to test the quality of education in schools. The Centre will be headed by Chief Education Examiner with Gazetted First Class Officer level official affiliated with the education service to be recommended for the post.

The teachers appointed before January 4, 1993 (Poush 20, 2049 BS) under the temporary provision and working seamlessly will be allowed to compete for the vacancy that emerged before August 5, 2004 (Saun 21, 2061 BS). The teachers who were appointed in the permanent provision in 1996 (2052 BS) and afterwards can have an additional seven years of service in temporary provision at the most before pension.

No more election to the post of Chairman of School Management Committee

A School Management Committee will be formed constituting four members including two women selected by the guardians for community school’s administration, care and management. The Committee will also include one woman from two selected among concerned Ward Chairperson, founder, local intellectual, donor, as well as a teachers’ representative and the principal.

The Committee Chair will be selected by its members from among guardians’ representatives, Ward Chairman or founder and donor. Earlier, a direct election used to take place for the post of the SMC Chairman.

Teachers’ reinstatement and transfer

One-time Assessment Committee will be formed for launching a probe into the teachers and employees that were removed from service during the period between February 13, 1996 to November 21, 2006 (Falgun 1, 2052 BS to Mangsir 5, 2063 BS) owing to the armed conflict and uprising. The Committee will present its suggestions to the government on the subject.

A permanent teacher completing five years’ service in any given school may be transferred within the district by District Education Officer, within the region by Regional Director and to any part of the country by the Education Department on basis of stipulated criteria. RSS