KATHMANDU, July 2: The government says it has made significant progress in reforming Nepal's education sector during its first 100 days in office, highlighting improvements in examination systems, university governance, digital services and public service delivery.
According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, priority has been given to making examinations from secondary school to university level more time-bound, improving the No Objection Certificate (NOC) service for students seeking to study abroad, reducing political interference in universities and expanding digital services.
Ministry spokesperson Shiva Kumar Sapkota said results of the Secondary Education Examination (SEE), Grade 12 examinations and university-level exams are now being published faster than in previous years.
Under the new system, SEE results will be published within one month of the examination, Grade 12 results within 40 days and university results within 65 days.
The arrangement has been implemented under the government's 100-point governance reform action plan, which requires universities and the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) to publish examination results within two months and release bachelor's and master's level results according to the academic calendar.
To improve the NOC issuance system, the ministry has integrated its database with those of Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University through an API. Preparations have also been completed to link the system with the National Identity Number (NIN) database.
The ministry said NOC issuance and academic certificate verification services are now available even on public holidays.
Focus on university reforms
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The ministry said it has intensified efforts to eliminate political interference in universities by prohibiting political student organizations from using university buildings and land, removing partisan symbols from campuses and preparing to introduce "Student Council" and "Voice of Student" systems. Guidelines for the reforms are in the final stage of preparation.
It also claimed that academic calendars have now been implemented in nine universities.
Over the past three months, the ministry issued 40,413 NOCs, verified 12,210 academic certificates and monitored 56 educational institutions affiliated with foreign universities. It also said all 212 complaints received through the Hello Sarkar grievance platform had been resolved.
Action over misuse of study leave
The ministry reported that about Rs 500 million has so far been recovered from nearly Rs 2 billion that was due from around 400 Tribhuvan University faculty members who failed to return after completing their study leave.
School education reforms
The ministry said it has replaced traditional internal examinations with alternative assessment methods for students up to Grade 5 to reduce psychological pressure.
It has also implemented a provision allowing children without birth registration certificates to enroll in school based on verification by local governments.
The University Grants Commission is preparing procedures that would allow students to study up to the bachelor's level without requiring citizenship certificates.
Digital services and administrative reforms
The ministry said it is preparing an e-pension card system for teachers, finalizing national quality standards for school education, implementing regulations governing collaborative academic degree programmes and advancing Business Process Reengineering (BPR) to improve service delivery.
It has also expanded digital signature verification and the Government Integrated Office Management System (GIOMS), established a help desk for grievance management, and begun cataloguing and implementing recommendations made by various commissions.
Research, budgeting and academic reforms
The ministry said it has published the Education Statistics 2083 report and completed a comprehensive review and policy analysis of research conducted by the ministry and its subordinate agencies.
Reports submitted by 560 undergraduate and six postgraduate scholarship recipients who returned after completing studies abroad have been forwarded to the relevant agencies.
The ministry has also submitted its Medium-Term Expenditure Framework report to the National Planning Commission and communicated budget ceilings received from the Ministry of Finance to subordinate bodies.
A total of 1,632 students—629 from Grade 10 and 1,003 from Grade 12—were granted academic equivalency certificates.
It added that national assessment guidelines aimed at improving learning achievement evaluations for Grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 are in the final stage, while new evaluation frameworks have already been prepared.
The final draft of national quality standards for school education has also been completed. Meanwhile, the Medical Education Commission and the Policy Research Institute have begun a joint study on the commission's jurisdiction, scholarship management, fee determination and operational system.
Following the removal of office-bearers appointed through political appointments at most universities, interim administrative arrangements have been put in place. The ministry said the selection process for new officials through a competitive and transparent process is in its final stage, with interviews and presentations for vice-chancellor candidates at eight universities beginning on Saturday.
The ministry also said vocational training programmes targeting more than 76 beneficiaries from families affected by the Gen Z movement have been launched through technical education and vocational training centres. The programmes include employment support, skills development, psychosocial counselling and rehabilitation.
Spokesperson Sapkota said the reforms are aimed at strengthening good governance in the education sector, improving service delivery, ensuring quality education and making educational institutions more accountable.
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