Ministry of Education (MoE) has finally formed a three member committee to hold discussions with the agitating students who padlocked the Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) for the last 25 days.

According to Hem Lal Gurung, member secretary of HSEB, the committee led by Tek Narayan Pandey, director of Department of Education, has been formed to resolve the issue. However, the ministry is yet to send an official reply to the HSEB for a dialogue with the students who padlocked the HSEB administration, account and registrar´s office demanding the government to implement their seven-point demands.

“The ministry officials in an informal talk with me said that the three member committee has been formed. However, an official letter has not been sent to start the dialogue” said Gurung. The HSEB had forwarded an official letter to the ministry on July 5.

The student unions including Nepal Student Union, All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU), ANNISU-R, ANNSU fifth, sixth and others padlocked the board office on July 31 demanding the MoE and HSEB to ensure free and equal education up to Plus two level and implementation of previous agreement between the government agencies and the unions. Other demands include nationalization of private institution and 20 percent scholarship in higher secondary schools.

Gurung further said that the student´s demands were complex and cannot be fulfilled at once. “There are serious demands such as free and equal education up to class 12 and nationalization of private sectors which is beyond our capacity to address,” he said adding “The students are moreover targeted on long term policy this time, let´s hope the HSEB gets unlocked soon.”

The protests has affected the administrative work in the office. The board has already published the result of science faculty of class 12 two months ago. However, results of management and humanities faculties of class 12 have been postponed indefinitely, Gurung said.
Similarly, the students waiting for their results are hit hard with the looming uncertainty.

“Everyday friends contact to each other trying to know if and when the results would be published. But the delay has frustrated us now,” said Kusum Bhattarai, a management faculty student.

Meanwhile, the nine student unions said they will not withdraw their protest unless the government commits to address their demands, said Madhav Dhungel, president of CPN-UML aligned ANNFSU.

source:republica,25 August 2012