Education Ministry seeks policy solutions to long-standing problems

Kathmandu / Aug 9: The Ministry of Education and Sports has stepped up efforts to resolve longstanding disputes, demands and policy problems in the education and sports sectors through negotiations and dialogue.

Since taking office, Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel has focused on identifying policy and systemic problems in the sector and finding long-term solutions. Rather than addressing issues raised by individuals or institutions on a case-by-case basis, the ministry has prioritised policy-level reforms through consultations with stakeholders.

In recent weeks, the ministry has sought solutions to issues including Dr Govinda KC’s hunger strike, protests by medical interns, and problems faced by educational consultancies and colleges running programmes affiliated with foreign universities.

The ministry has introduced the Education Regulations, Tenth Amendment, 2083, to address problems in the ninth amendment to the existing regulations. The new amendment was introduced within 100 days of the minister taking office.

It is also preparing to replace the decades-old Education Act with a new law, with the draft currently under discussion. Other legal and policy measures under preparation include regulations governing foreign educational programmes and rules related to educational consultancies, language training and preparatory classes.

The government recently reached a seven-point agreement with Dr KC, ending his 11-day hunger strike. Under the agreement, the ministry has begun the process of operating a teaching hospital with at least 300 beds at the Martyr Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences in Geta, Kailali.

Work has also begun to arrange faculty members, technical staff and infrastructure needed to run MBBS and other academic programmes.

Following the agreement with Dr KC, the ministry also intensified efforts to resolve the protest by medical interns. On July 20, a ministry team, including the vice chairperson of the Medical Education Commission, visited the protest site and held direct talks with the demonstrators.

The ministry issued a white paper the following day, calling on the protesting doctors to resolve their concerns through dialogue. On July 22, hunger striker Dilli Harijan also ended his protest after reaching a five-point agreement with the government.

A detailed discussion is scheduled for July 28 on a proposal to provide students enrolled in one-year internship programmes, including MBBS and BDS, with a living allowance equivalent to 50 percent of the starting salary scale of the eighth level of the health service.

Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Medical Education Commission, universities, private medical and dental colleges, and protesting interns are expected to take part. The conclusions will be presented as a proposal at a meeting of the Medical Education Commission.

The ministry had already been working on the issue of allowances for medical interns. After the protesting group submitted its demands to the minister on April 1, a meeting involving university vice chancellors, the commission’s vice chairperson and other stakeholders was held on April 7.

A task force formed to recommend a solution submitted its report on April 30. It concluded that MBBS and BDS internships are an integral part of medical education and recommended an allowance equivalent to 50 percent of the starting salary of eighth-level resident doctors.

The 24th meeting of the Medical Education Commission later delegated authority to its vice chairperson to issue necessary directives. Based on this, all universities were instructed on June 4 to implement the task force’s recommendations.

University reform is also high on the ministry’s agenda. It says it is working to make appointments of vice chancellors and other university officials more transparent, fair and competitive while improving the quality of higher education and making academic administration more accountable.

Some work was disrupted after an ordinance on the special removal of public office holders automatically removed officials from various bodies. The ministry has since introduced new procedures to fill vacant positions through a transparent and competitive process.

Tribhuvan University has appointed a vice chancellor, but positions including rector and registrar remain vacant. The selection process for senior officials at Kathmandu University is also ongoing, delaying the implementation of some policy decisions.

The ministry also intervened after the recent leak of the MBBS first-year examination question paper. Following the minister’s instruction, the accused was taken into custody and brought under legal process within 24 hours. The ministry says it is now working to make the examination system more secure, transparent and technology-friendly.

Dialogue is also continuing on student concerns over the MBBS barrier system, refund of additional fees and transparent fee structures.

Minister Pokharel says the ministry has made dialogue its first priority rather than allowing protests to become the only route for resolving disputes. While problems that have accumulated for years cannot be solved overnight, he says policy and structural reforms are moving forward gradually.

Legal complexities, policy ambiguities and poor coordination among agencies have delayed implementation in some cases. The ministry says it is trying to overcome these obstacles through inter-ministerial coordination, regular consultations and active follow-up.

In recent weeks, Pokharel has separately consulted university officials, community school principals, educational consultancy representatives, mental health experts, media leaders, education journalists and political party representatives to gather suggestions on education reform.

The ministry says it remains committed to addressing problems in education and sports through negotiation, dialogue and consensus, while continuing policy and structural reforms