The Ministry of Education has decided to form a high-level Education Commission to recommend the government for restructuring the academic sector in accordance with the new constitution.

The proposed Commission will suggest the Ministry for academic and administrative reformation to ensure free and compulsory secondary education as envisioned in the constitution. Publishing the priorities of the Ministry on Friday, Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel said he will put maximum efforts in legal and policy reformation to boost the quality of education.

In a public hearing held for the dissemination of his priorities, Pokharel said the government will come up with separate campaign to address the educational issues in Tarai. All academic institutions in the southern belt of the country have failed to operate for past three months owing to protests by regional parties and the unofficial blockade by India.

Pokharel said he is holding consultations with officials and protesters to come up with the new programmes.

In the 18-point priorities, the MoE aims at regulating academic institutions operating with foreign affiliation and taking action against those which fail to abide by the existing legal provisions. Though existing legal provisions prohibits schools with foreign affiliations, over a dozen of schools are teaching Indian curriculum in the country.

“The government will initiate efforts to reform curriculum from the school level to uplift education standards to international level,” Pokharel said, adding that the government will work to endorse Education Act Amendment Bill which has been registered at the Parliament Secretariat. The bill aims at paving the way for restructuring of school level education as per School Sector Reform Programme and resolving the problem of temporary teachers.

The ministry’s other priorities include adopting letter grading in SLC examination and establishing an open university. Pokharel also announced scholarships for deserving students and loan for the poor.