Shrestha claimed the Bill will not be endorsed unless its unfriendly provisions targeted to the private academic institutions are removed. Addressing the Lalitpur district convention of HISSAN on Tuesday, he said there are 12 lawmakers who represent private schools and colleges while the number of investors is above 50 in the Constituent Assembly. “Therefore there is no chance of endorsement of legal provisions that tend to scrutinise the private academic sector,” he said.

The private school operators are on continuous protest after the Education minister incorporated a provision to turn the ownership of private schools into cooperative model. The ministry is preparing to amend the existing Education Act to pave the way for the full endorsement of School Sector Reform Programme and resolve the existing problem of temporary teachers. Assessing that the private education was over commercialised, the MoE has proposed to shift the existing private ownership model to cooperative one. The lawmakers have warned of protests if the provision is not withdrawn.

The private schools operators a month ago submitted a memorandum to Education Minister Chitra Lekha Yadav asking her not to take decision that would have long-term implications on the sector, demanding that the existing legality of the private schools be maintained.