Education Ministry in talks with local levels over admission and fee issues

Kathmandu: The government is preparing to strengthen coordination between federal and local levels for reforms in the school education sector, with a focus on student admissions and fee-related disputes.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has said it will hold discussions with local governments and stakeholders regarding admission processes and fee regulation.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday at Singha Durbar, involving mayors of Kathmandu Valley metropolitan cities and senior government officials.

The discussion will focus on confusion surrounding student admissions, non-standard fee collection, the academic calendar, and future strategies ahead of the new academic session. It will also review irregularities reported in private schools and measures taken so far.

Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel, who is also the government spokesperson, will attend the meeting. Representatives including the acting mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Sunita Dangol and Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Chiribabu Maharjan, along with representatives of municipal associations and officials from the Home Ministry and Education Ministry, will also participate.

The ministry had recently directed schools to refund illegally collected fees following complaints that some private schools were enrolling students early and charging beyond approved limits.

While the federal government had set April 28 as the start of enrollment and May 4 for classes, some local governments in the Kathmandu Valley had issued different schedules, creating confusion in implementation.