April 24, Kathmandu - One hundred and ten community schools in Baglung have been selected under the Presidential Educational Reform Program. Budget has been allocated to these 10 local level schools in the district under various headings. The government says it has introduced the program for the first time to upgrade community schools.

The Education and Human Resource Development Center of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has stated that the budget has been allocated by including 7,278 community schools in the district in the Presidential Educational Reform Program.

As per the decision made by the Ministry on April 3, 19 schools have been selected in Baglung Municipality, 8 in Galkot Municipality, 9 in Jamini Municipality, 8 in Dhorpatan Municipality, 10 in Kathekhola Municipality, 9 in Tarakhola Municipality, 9 in Taranghola Municipality, 3 in Bareng Municipality, 29 in Badigad Municipality, 5 in Nisikhola Municipality and 10 in Tamankhola Municipality. The Department of Education has stated. MP Man Kumari KC informed that the highest number of 29 schools in Badigad and the lowest number of 3 schools in Bareng were selected under the program.

The criteria for the implementation of the program of the center have been selected and the criteria have also been made public. It has been stated that the educational reform program in the selected schools should be implemented at the local level.

According to the department, the federal government will release the budget for the program at the concerned local level soon. As per the decision of the Ministry on April 1, the President's educational reform program has been selected in 7,278 community schools of the country as per the annual program of the current fiscal year 2077/78 BS.

The government has allocated a budget of Rs. 5.6 billion. Nepal National Teachers Association Gandaki province member Thanendra Gautam said that the launch of the President's Educational Reform Program was good news for the education sector. He expressed the belief that it would make a significant contribution to the improvement of the educational and physical condition of the school.

"This is a new program that is yet to be implemented, but there has been some relief in the budget allocation for the development of the education sector," he said. "If the program continues, there will be some improvement in community schools and the technology-friendly education raised by organizations like ours will be meaningful."

He said that the program should be able to continue even if the program and budget are not forthcoming as demanded by the school. The program covered the development of physical infrastructure of the selected schools, housing facilities in mountainous and high hilly areas, operation of schools for the extremely poor, parentless, disaster affected, remote places and people with disabilities.