Education sector to receive Rs 1 billion more budget in upcoming fiscal year

-Prakash Silwal

The education sector is to receive Rs 1 billion more budget in the upcoming fiscal year as compared to the current fiscal year.

Reading out the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, Minister for Finance Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat announced that the government has allocated Rs 197.29 billion for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology for the fiscal year 2080/081 BS.

In the current fiscal year, the budget for this sector is Rs 196.38 billion.

The new budget speech has announced to make education with life-skills, modern, technical and research-based while early childhood development programme would be further managed and student's retention would be run as a campaign.

Likewise, the skills learned at home and abroad will be tested and certified and the new medical college would be established in Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinces, Dr Mahat read out in the budget speech.

Furthermore, sanitary pad would be distributed for free to one million girls and day meal to the students is continued.

Similarly, junk food is prohibited and local produces would be promoted in the day meal for the students and Rs 8.45 billion has been allocated for this programme.

Dr Mahat said that Rs 3.02 billion has been allocated for the distribution of school textbooks prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

As announced in the budget, Federal Education Act will be brought and the Tribhuvan University will be developed as a research Centre.

Likewise, University Grants Commission would be restructured.

The basic-level teachers would be adjusted in the vacant posts of the upper level and the local levels would be encouraged to appoint headmaster on the basis of free competition.

Needed budget has been allocated for running Madan Bhandari Technical University and Bidushi Yogmaya University.

Furthermore, Finance Minister Dr Mahat said that Gurukul, Madrasa, Gumba education would be mainstreamed and the curriculum of the brail script and sign language would be formulated.

Dr Mahat announced that graduates of all subjects can now sit for teaching license and legal ground would be prepared accordingly.