Government collects billions from students despite free education laws
Summary
Despite constitutional guarantees of free education up to secondary level, the Nepalese government collects over Rs2.5 billion annually in mandatory fees from students, raising concerns about the fulfillment of free education promises.
Key Points
- The Nepalese constitution guarantees free education up to secondary level, but students are still charged multiple mandatory fees.
- Government agencies collect over Rs2.5 billion annually from student fees including registration, examination, and certificate charges.
- Efforts to prohibit these fees were made but not implemented, with fees used to fund examination administration due to lack of separate government budget.
- Education experts criticize successive governments for failing to ensure genuinely free education, especially for marginalized communities attending community schools.
