Minister Pun swamped with over 8,000 suggestions

By Raman Paudel,Kathandu, Dec. 11: Mahabir Pun, Minister of Education, Science, and Technology, has received more than 8,000 suggestions on education reform over the past two months, as he called for suggestion instead of receiving congratulatory phone calls and messages.

According to officials from the Ministry, Minister Pun still receives numerous messages related to education reform every day via email and WhatsApp.

Following the receipt of suggestions, the Minister has classified and prioritized them, focusing on teacher vacancies and transfer; de-politicization of teachers; Early Childhood Development (ECD); reform of the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT); free and fair appointment of school principals; computer education; revision of education regulations; new education policy; and design of a new curriculum related to moral education, among others.

However, Minister Pun and ministry officials have been struggling to achieve concrete results in several priority areas amidst time pressure and high expectations from the younger generation.

Abhishek Ghimire, expert and advisor to Minister Pun, stated that they have several tasks but a limited schedule. He added that the Minister’s team has been actively working on suggestions from experts as well as grievances from guardians.

“We have limited time, but numerous tasks to complete. We must deliver some results before the election. We have a lot to do before the election code of conduct comes into effect,” said Ghimire.

Meanwhile, a task force led by Suresh Raj Sharma has submitted a report on CTEVT reform to the Minister. Similarly, a committee led by Kishor Thapa was formed to investigate corruption and irregularities in university appointments.

Likewise, Minister Pun has begun addressing grievances from Gen Z leaders after a Gen Z group presented a 65-point memorandum to him last week. To address their demands, the Minister has initiated the formation of a task force.

Ghimire informed that Minister Pun will form a committee to address the demands of the Gen Z group, as most of their concerns are related to reforming the structure and improving education.

However, some experts doubt that the Minister’s working style will lead to effective results. Prof. Dr. Bidhya Nath Koirala said that several plans proposed by Minister Pun are neither realistic nor effective.

Speaking to The Rising Nepal, Dr. Koirala said that his team had suggested several issues to the Minister, but he feels discouraged because the Minister does not seem concerned about them.

“Some of the schemes put forward by the Minister require a huge budget, which is not realistic. We suggested he focus more on effective work with a smaller budget. However, he has not shown much interest in our suggestions,” said Dr. Koirala. “He has neither worked on that advice nor contacted us again,” Dr. Koirala added.

On the other hand, some officials at the Ministry said that they are not fully aware of what exactly the Minister is working on. Speaking to The Rising Nepal, one official stated that the Minister is working in his own way and has not cooperated with other stakeholders, including government officials.

“He has been doing his regular tasks. He may be working on several tasks based on his priority areas,” the official stated.