Kathmandu. In the budget for the fiscal year 2083/84, Rs. Rs 218.30 billion has been allocated. This amount is a significant amount compared to the previous one. The budget has pledged a systemic restructuring of the entire educational ecosystem, from schools to universities, from community education to technical training.
Restructuring the entire educational system
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The budget has announced to expand innovation and skill-oriented education on the basis of national school mapping and infrastructure audit, teacher capacity testing, AI and Ed-tech readiness assessment.TAG_OPEN_p_89 For mapping the infrastructure needs of community schools, Rs. Rs 1 billion has been allocated.
Conversion to ‘School-Centered System’
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The policy of transforming the education system into a “school-centered system” has been adopted to accept parental support in enhancing the quality of education and building infrastructure. The budget has also announced to make the School Management Committee a means of ensuring quality education and to run ‘Clean Toilet Campaign’ in all educational institutions.
Scholarship Rs. 8.6 billion {
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for scholarships for students from school to higher education. Rs 8.60 billion has been allocated. Children from the communities who are lagging behind in the Human Development Index (HDI) will be run residential schools, starting from the Chepang community of Chitwan district.
Permission for foreign universities to open campuses in Nepal
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} Historic announcement has been made in the budget to make policy arrangements and incentives for international level universities to run campuses in Nepal. An academic exchange program between domestic and foreign professors will also be started. The announcement is expected to help reduce the number of students going abroad and improve the quality of education.
Autonomy to the University
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Legal arrangements will be made to operate the university in a cost-sharing model by providing educational, administrative and financial autonomy to the university.TAG_OPEN_p_81 The youths who are in foreign employment would also be given the opportunity to study through the open university.
Medical, Nursing & IT Quota Increase{
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It has been announced that the quota imposed in various categories of higher education including medicine, nursing, information technology will be revised and significantly increased within the current fiscal year.TAG_OPEN_p_79 Experts say that this will help to meet the shortage of health manpower.
Medical Education in the Far West
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The Shahid Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences in Geta, Sudurpaschim Province will start four medical education programmes from the academic year 2083/84 BS.TAG_OPEN_p_77 This will give students from the far west the opportunity to get medical education nearby.
Demand-based skills systems and internships{
} The government has announced to expand the demand-based skills system directly linked to industry and labour market, implement the national qualification framework and pre-learning standards, and institutionalize an internship system with remuneration. It is expected that this will ensure employment for the students along with their studies.
Education of the AI Age
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The budget has announced to establish the country’s first sovereign AI Compute Center in Syuchatar, Kathmandu and to bring at least 15 Nepali researchers who are making an international reputation in the field of AI to Nepal with fellowships.TAG_OPEN_p_73 It is also mentioned that high priority will be given to important disciplines for AI, including mathematics.
Student Exchange Program
The budget also includes an announcement to conduct an exchange program for students and teachers studying in community schools of various provinces from grade 5 to 8, and to promote the study of music, art and literature throughout the country.TAG_OPEN_p_71
Restructuring of Higher Education
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The government has also announced restructuring of higher education as a centre for research, innovation, knowledge production and national capacity building and to develop Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, National Academy of Health Sciences, Bir Hospital and Patan Academy of Health Sciences into universities of international standard.TAG_OPEN_p_69
Overall, this budget seems to be a big step towards taking the education sector out of the traditional ‘bookish knowledge’ and connecting it with skills, technology and employment.TAG_OPEN_p_68
