Quality of Education in Madhesh Undermined by Privatization, Experts Concur

Bodebarsaien, Saptari – 27th October 2023.

At a recent interaction program at the Mahendra Bindeshwari Multiple College, key figures, including the Minister of Education of Madhesh Province, voiced concerns over the state of education in Nepal and Madhesh.

Minister's Standpoint: Mahesh Prasad Yadav, the Minister of Education, pinpointed the privatization of education as the chief culprit for the deteriorating quality of education in the region. While acknowledging the challenges, he emphasized that the current government is focusing on elevating the education standards in the Madhes province.

Local Administration Weighs In: Dilip Yadav, the Chief Administrative Officer of Bodeversine Municipality, backed the Minister's concerns. He critically remarked on the aspect of privatizing education, as mentioned in Nepal's constitution, terming it as discriminatory and detrimental to education quality. He further stated that the local administration is inclined towards enhancing education quality and focusing on infrastructural developments.

Other Significant Inputs:

• Citizen leader Kumar Kamalendra highlighted the triple challenges of extreme privatization, commercialization, and politicization in education. He also pointed out the lack of coordination between the education sector and the country's economic framework.

• Kedar Yadav, the former president of Campus Students' Union, expressed concerns over several issues, including the lack of focus on mother tongue development through education, the absence of an educational system that ensures employment, the growing allure of foreign employment, and the misuse of educational institutions for political gains.

Several other dignitaries, including Dr. Ayodhi Prasad Yadav, Professor Amar Prasad Yadav, Laxmi Chaudhary, Niranjan Jha, Rajiv Kumar Jha, and Dhruv Mandal, provided insights and shared their perspectives on the topic.

With such collective concerns coming to light, it is evident that the education sector in Nepal and Madhesh is at a crucial juncture. The emphasis now is on finding effective strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of privatization and to rejuvenate the quality of education in the region.