State must take responsibility in education and health

The members of the Bagmati Provincial Assembly have emphasized that the state should provide easy access to quality education to at-risk and underprivileged children. In the policy dialogue program on 'Safe, Inclusive and Supportive School Education' organized by Lunibha Child Concern Group and Patan CVR in collaboration with Education, Health and Agriculture Committee of Bagmati Provincial Assembly, Keshav Pokharel, Chairman of that committee, said that since the state should take full responsibility for education and health, students who come to the school will be given mid-day meals. He said that there should be complete system of the government.

He said that it is necessary to improve the quality of education by managing public schools with fewer students and more teachers. Provincial Assembly member Badri Mainali urged to end the two-tier education system (government and private) and maintain universal access to education and implement the fundamental rights, while another provincial member Goma Bhurtel commented that the implementation of policies and laws related to education is lax.

State members Prem Bahadur Dulami, Maina Achami, Bhimsen Khatri, Dawa Dorje Lama, Saraswati Bati, Jeevan Khadka expressed their discomfort with the delay in bringing the Federal Education Act.

Rights activist Milan Dharel presented the work paper and said that the way to school, school environment, physical infrastructure, transportation, etc. should be safe and there should be no violence in schools, there should be first aid centers in schools, implementation of child protection policies and mechanisms and emergency assistance.

The President of Lunibha, Narendra Dangol, said that education improvement programs have been conducted in Konjosyom and Mahankal Rural Municipality of Lalitpur as part of the project to promote the right to education and protection of high-risk children and they have cooperated with public representatives there.

Rajesh Sharma, President of the Children's Peace Zone National Campaign (CJP), demanded that teachers be freed from party activities and that the school peace zone be properly implemented.