KATHMANDU: The National Campaign for Education (NCE) Nepal has suggested the political parties contesting in the May 13 local level election to prioritize education issues in their manifesto.
The national network of 437 member organizations working for strengthening of the public education system in the country has presented a 18-point educational recommendation for the political parties to consider in their manifestos.
Among the recommendations include at least 20 per cent of the total budget allocation in the upcoming fiscal year. The recommendation letter, according to the NCE Nepal, prepared after consulting with leaders of major political parties and stakeholders, urges the local level government for at least 20 per cent budget allocation for education sector to constitutionally guarantee the rights to free education.
NCE, Nepal President Dilliram Subedi shared that the recommendation draws the attention of the local government for formulation and implementation of law enabling allocation of budget for the public education from the revenue collected through local resources.
Additional budget is demanded to encourage children at risk of dropping out and to devise and enforce programmes to make up for the loss of learning activities during COVID-19 crisis among others.
Each local level government should have their own acts, regulation, plan and programmes devised for promotion of education, the NCE Nepal demanded.
Commercialization and privatization of basic and secondary level education should be ended, converting profit-oriented schools to public trusts among others should be included in the manifesto of the political parties contesting the upcoming civil poll.
In the recommendation letter, emphasis has been laid to make the teaching profession dignified and professional, to make arrangements for attracting best students for teaching profession and to make clear arrangement that the political parties will not allow teachers to join their politics.
