Kathmandu: Minister for Education, Science and Technology Raghuji Pant has firmly stated that the government does not support extending the School Education Bill, urging the concerned parliamentary committee to accelerate discussions and finalize the draft.

Speaking at a meeting of the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee on Wednesday, Minister Pant emphasized that delays must be avoided, even if some issues remain unresolved.

"I am also not in favor of extending this bill. When will you hold a meeting — Sunday or Monday? Let's continue the discussion," he said. "Some issues also need to be agreed upon at the political level. Let’s not let that delay the rest. Let’s move forward while putting unresolved issues on hold."

He urged the committee to reconvene as soon as possible and not to allow pending political disagreements to derail the legislative process.

Former Minister Bhattarai: Focus on Students and School Conditions
Also addressing the meeting, CPN-UML MP and former Education Minister Bidya Bhattarai highlighted that the bill must be student-centered and accountable to learners across the country.

Bhattarai expressed concern over the poor state of school infrastructure and called for attention not only to physical infrastructure but also to human resources, such as teachers and administrative staff.

"We always talk about physical infrastructure, but human infrastructure is still under question marks," she said.
"Learning must be improved for quality education. We need to ask — to whom are we accountable? We are accountable to the students."

She urged lawmakers to make the bill responsible, inclusive, and grounded in the realities of Nepal’s schools.

Context
The School Education Bill, which aims to overhaul Nepal’s education system, has faced delays amid disagreements on issues like governance models, teacher management, and education federalism. Minister Pant’s comments suggest growing pressure within the government to push the bill forward, even as contentious issues remain unresolved at the political level.