Guys, Now these wolves in sheep clothing aka Maoists-terrorists are to their tricks again.They are making TOUGH CONDITIONS for Private School Operators. This was bound to happen.

Now it is schools, tomorrow it will be Pvt. HOSPITALS/CLINICS/BANKS/SMALL BUSINESSES/HOTELS etc

Read:

Maoists make private schools ‘confused’, ‘insecure’

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, April 24 - Private school operators have said that conflicting statements from the Maoist leadership and the affiliated student body had created ‘confusion’ and ‘investment insecurity’ in the education sector.

Talking to the Post, Bhoj Bahadur Shah, president of Private and Boarding Schools Organization, Nepal (PABSON), said it was an attempt to bring down the morale of school operators and ultimately drive them away from the sector. “The demand to increase the salary of teachers and at he same time waive all types of fees or cap them is a conspiracy to shut down all private schools in the end,” he added.

Shah said the school fees were last hiked three years ago. Stating that the government had increased the salary of school teachers by 52.3 percent since then, he asked, “How could it be justifiable to demand that we provide salary equal to government teachers without increasing tuition fees?”

He said sarcastically that they could keep the fee structure intact if the government provides them with subsidies.

As per existing government provisions, private schools in the urban areas are allowed to collect Rs 400 to Rs 700 as academic fees per month. They are also allowed to charge 50 percent additional fees for genuine reasons. “Over 50 percent of private schools have not charged the fees set out in the existing provisions due to the low purchasing power of guardians, especially in semi-urban and rural areas,” said Shah.

Amidst confusion over the conflicting statements from the Maoist leadership concerning private sector education, the National Private and Boarding Schools’ Association Nepal (NPABSON), High School Association Nepal (HISAN) and PABSON have formed a task force under the chairmanship of Umesh Shrestha to apprise Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist chairman Prachanda of their problem. The task force will demand the Maoists review their policy on private sector investment in education as there is now a great confusion and uncertainty over this.

Meanwhile, Himal Sharma, general secretary of ANNISU-R, said they are in favor of government access and some sort of regulation in private sector education and additional investment in government schools.

He said that they have asked private school operators to enroll students without charging any fees until a new government is formed. “The new government set to be formed within the next one month will determine the fee ceiling for all private schools. Those who are able to run schools within the fee ceiling will do so, while those failing to do so will simply have to quit the sector,” he said.

Sharma also complained that PABSON and NPABSON had failed to implement the 19-point agreement they reached on June 2, 2007. Among other things, the agreement included increment in teacher salaries at least to the level at government schools.

Over 160,000 teachers are currently working at 8,500 private schools across the country.

Posted on: 2008-04-23 20:01:12 (Server Time)