Education Bill attempts to shrink local levels power: NARMIN

The National Association of Rural Municipalities in Nepal has expressed its discontent over the attempts to shrink the rights of local levels in the School Education Bill, which is under consideration in the parliament.

The School Education Bill, registered in the House of Representatives on September 13 this year, recently has been sent to the respective parliamentary committee for clause-wise discussion.

A programme jointly organized by the Children as Zone of Peace (CZOP)-National Campaign and Plan International at the office of Association in Anamnagar, Kathmandu, today to handover responsibility to a girl, Chairperson of the Association, Laxmi Devi Pandey, shared that the Constitution has given sole authority of school-level education to the local level.

 Different organisations of teachers including the Confederation of Nepalese Teachers are also expressing their reluctance to function under the local level's authority.

Pandey argued, "No one has right to violet the constitution. According to the constitution, we cannot reduce the single right by making any law. The federal government should also make laws in consultation with us on the issue of common rights."

According to her, the local levels were enhancing advocacy to provide children free education up to grade 10 as well as to reduce the female students' dropout ratio in the class.

Similarly, Tilottam Poudel, General Secretary of the C-ZOP National Campaign, said that they wanted to convey the message that girls are capable of leadership and cooperation if they are given the opportunity.

On the occasion, Chairperson Pandey symbolically handed over her responsibility to Manisha Pandit, a female student from Dhanusha district, for a day, a move aimed at empowering and enabling girls to gain the experience of inclusiveness, enhancing their competence and developing leadership skills.

Likewise, the female children, participating in the programme, urged the stakeholders to create an enabling environment for them to avail education and equal opportunities as well as protect them from child labour, child marriage, malnutrition and discrimination.

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