Govt will strengthen private sector cooperation on education reform: Education minister

KATHMANDU: Minister for Education and Sports Sasmit Pokharel has said the government will strengthen cooperation with the private sector to implement policy and structural reforms in the education sector.

He made the remarks after meeting office‑bearers and representatives of Private and Boarding Schools' Organization, Nepal (PABSON), the Higher Institutions and Secondary Schools' Association Nepal (HISSAN), National Private and Boarding Schools' Association Nepal (NPABSAN) and Association of Preschool Educators Nepal (APEN) and other private school organisations at the Ministry in Singha Durbar on Tuesday.

The discussion covered the current state of school education, challenges facing private schools, promotion of quality education, policy reforms, the School Education Act and other contemporary sector issues.

Minister Pokharel said the government has placed policy and structural reform of the education sector among its priorities and that private‑sector stakeholders will be included in the policy and decision‑making process.

As government spokesperson, he said educational reform programmes will be advanced by improving coordination and cooperation between the government and the private sector. “We are positive to move ahead collaborating with the private sector. The private sector has an important role in effective implementation of the government's policies and programmes,” he said.

The minister pledged to hold continuous consultation with the private sector to make the School Education Act practical and long‑term. He said he had taken the initiative to remove the 3% equity tax proposed for the education and health sectors and that the government's recent decision has provided relief to the education sector.

Minister Pokharel added that the ministry is working to make the scholarship distribution system more systematic, transparent and effective. Adviser at the Education Ministry Shailendra Jha reiterated the government’s commitment to work with the private sector on policy, planning and implementation.

Office‑bearers and representatives of the private school organisations welcomed the removal of the 3% equity tax and expressed readiness to cooperate with the government on education reforms.

By RSS