May 4, Kathmandu-There are fears that the 'Presidential Educational Reform Program' of the current fiscal year will be completed on time after the ban was issued in most parts of the country due to the corona pandemic. With less than two and a half months left in the current fiscal year, the budget has been allocated for the program by selecting schools in a hurry.

The Government of Nepal has allocated Rs. 5.6 billion for the educational reform of schools under various headings under the program. There is a provision that the budget should go to the local level through the Ministry of Finance and be made available to the schools selected by the local level.

With the budget allocated towards the end of the fiscal year and not reaching the school so far, it is a challenge to complete the work within the stipulated time. The issuance of injunctions in the districts and the closure of educational institutions across the country have further affected the implementation of the program.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has selected 4,250 out of 6,921 schools that have applied for the educational reform program. The selected schools will get Rs 650,000 to Rs 1.8 million.

Program title and budget

According to the Education and Human Resource Development Center, the schools have received grants for construction of buildings, construction of child development centers, the addition of floors, retrofitting, construction of toilets, drinking water and sanitation, educational materials, computer, science laboratory, library, solar panel, internet.

Similarly, interactive boards, smart boards, projectors, online and offline content development, and new technologies for quality education have also been selected.

According to the Ministry of Education, the program aims to improve 2,968 classrooms, 311 toilets, 45 special schools, physical and educational development of 21 schools, labs, and libraries in 333 schools, and construction of 923 new technologies.

According to Madhav Prasad Dahal, spokesperson of the Education and Human Resource Development Center, funds have been provided for the construction of a minimum of two rooms and a maximum of four rooms for the construction of a school building. There is a grant of up to Rs 1.8 million for the construction of a four-room building.

The budget has not reached the local level

The budget of the Presidential Education Reform Program has not yet reached the local level. There is a provision to make the school available at the local level.

Chief of the Education Department of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Ram Prasad Subedi, said that the budget of the Presidential Educational Reform Program has not been received yet. He said, "This program cannot be completed within the current fiscal year if the funds are not received within the month of April."

58 schools of Kathmandu metropolis have been selected for the program.

He said that there is no problem in constructing ICT labs, purchasing educational materials, setting up libraries but there are challenges in constructing buildings and toilets.

The budget of the educational reform program has not reached Budhanilkantha municipality either. Jagannath Upadhyaya, head of the education department of the municipality, said that 16 schools in Budhanilkantha have been selected for the program.

He said that it would be a challenge for the school to complete the construction of the building within two months at the time of the ban.

Chief of the Education Department of Kirtipur Municipality Tankalal Gaire also said that the budget has not been submitted to the municipality yet.

If the budget has not reached the capital, there is no question of reaching the remote areas.

The budget is gone: Ministry

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Deepak Sharma said that the money has been sent to the local level under the Presidential Educational Reform Program.

"We have already sent the funds allocated for the selected schools," he said.