Nepal’s Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Sasmita Pokharel, has instructed the immediate implementation of nine important decisions on the very day she assumed office on the 13th.
On the same day, she sent official directives to four higher education divisions and five school education divisions to carry out these decisions. The ministry has stated that some of the directives must be implemented immediately, while others have timelines ranging from one month to one hundred days. The ministry will monitor whether these decisions are effectively executed.
One major decision is to make university and campus exam results more predictable by developing a result portal under the Office of the Controller of Examinations. Institutions have also been directed to provide transcripts within 15 days of publishing results.
Another directive calls for scientific mapping of schools using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Based on changing population patterns, geographic remoteness, student numbers, and distance, schools will be merged or newly established to determine an appropriate number of schools.
The minister has also ordered that practical project work related to Nepali society, culture, history, geography, traditions, and school values be incorporated into the school curriculum.
The ministry has directed that the No Objection Letter (NOC) software be upgraded so that once an application ID is generated, verification should be completed within one day whenever possible, with responsible staff held accountable.
Universities have been instructed to make necessary procedural arrangements so that citizenship documents are not required for enrollment up to the bachelor’s level.
In accordance with the Compulsory and Free Education Act 2075, private schools and schools operated under public educational trusts must coordinate with local governments to provide mandatory scholarships to students in the legally defined proportion.
The ministry has also ordered a complete ban, starting from Baisakh 1, on entrance exam preparation classes and bridge courses conducted by various institutions targeting school-level admissions. Similarly, any higher education preparatory programs operating outside the legal framework must be shut down.
Another directive requires the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) results to be published within one month of the completion of exams. For children who do not have birth registration certificates, schools must arrange admission based on certified records from local governments.
All concerned bodies have been made responsible for implementing these ministerial decisions. Minister Pokharel, who is also the government spokesperson, has emphasized that all agencies must strictly follow these directives to bring immediate improvements in the education sector.
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