By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Aug. 30: Nepali Congress has proposed an education policy with provisions of free education for all children up to secondary level within next five years and equal opportunity of education for all within 10 years.
The National Education Policy prepared by the Nepali Congress Education Department and handed over to party president and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was made public by the Nepali Congress Education Department on Saturday by organising a press conference at the central office of the party at Sanepa, Lalitpur.

The new education policy of the NC has proposed new structure of education in which child education up to Class IV is defined as pre-basic level, Class V-VIII as basic level and Class IX-XII as secondary level.
The policy has proposed to give 60 per cent weightage to technical education and 40 per cent to general education where children can learn skill-oriented, entrepreneurship and knowledge useful for life.

In next two years, every rural municipality, municipality, sub-metropolitan city and metropolitan city should operate at least one, two, three and five secondary level boarding schools respectively, the policy stated.
The 65-point policy includes that it should establish National Talent Hunt Directorate to search different talents of the nation, motivate private schools to run under trust or cooperatives, make Teachers’ Service Commission more autonomous, and manage same type of teachers’ quota in all community schools.

Likewise, establishment of a hospital for school teachers and employees, establishment of universities on Eastern Philosophy and on Aayurveda are also prioritised in the policy.
The salary of the teachers and professors should be 30 per cent higher than that of other civil servants, the problem of part-time teachers of the Tribhuvan University should be resolved by implementing 1420 quotas of teachers approved by previous NC-led government, the policy stated.

The policy has also tried to address even brain gain programme. The authority should create an environment to bring back Nepali lecturers and professors who are teaching in universities overseas after completing their education. Likewise, it has asked to make a mandatory provision to work at least three years for nation after getting government scholarship.

Speaking at the programme Hari Prasad Nepal, chief of the Education Department, who is also a central member of the NC, said that the education policy was proposed on the basis of the provisions of the Constitution of Nepal. He said that the education policy submitted to the party president would be endorsed by the upcoming general convention of the party.