Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun has said that a sea change in education sector was needed to ensure quality in community schools.

Inaugurating the Bir Balbhadra Namuna Secondary School at Thawang of Rolpa district on Sunday, the Vice President said quality of community schools should make its products feel pride. "The quality of community schools should be such that our kids feel pride for getting enrolled there. And, the parents feel pride for having a chance to enroll their kids," the Vice President said, adding that it was not a big deal if the government, local people’s representatives, management committees, teachers and parents all work honestly in unison from their related fields.

The community schools can be made the model ones with the collective efforts, the Vice President drew attention of all.

Not only bringing students under the ambit of education but also making them efficient, competent and making them skilled human resources dedicated to the national interests through competitive, scientific, technical, vocational and professional entities should be the focus of the hour, Pun said.

The Vice President was of the view that higher education should be made free of cost by making it qualitative and accessible to every citizen.

Vice President Pun also voiced for regulation of the private schools and expressed his reservation to the commercialization of education sector. He shared that he was highly prideful of the school’s progress from where he had completed his secondary level education.

Likewise, Pun stressed the need for all including Rolpali people and political leadership to come together to safeguard achievements made so far from people’s struggle.

"Achievements can be made when people and political leadership come together. Role of Rolpali people and political leadership has had in achieving changes in Nepal. There is risk of losing achievements made so far in case of failure to safeguard them and as a result, prosperity can come to a halt."

He claimed that many development activities were being carried out in Thawang, referring to promotion of Jaljala tourism destination, ongoing blacktopping of the Martyr’s Highway, expansion of electricity, establishment of an agriculture campus and a polytechnic institution.

On the occasion, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Barsha Man Pun said Thawang is being developed as the education hub despite having become a centre of political awareness in the past. He also said the government has accorded high priority to its development. Calling for all to unite for country’s prosperity, he said, "Lets launch a struggle together against poverty, which would help prosper Rolpa and Thawang."

On the occasion, Minister for Education, Science and Technology Girirajmani Pokharel shared that the government was willing to cement the gap between the private schools and community schools in terms of their quality of education.

According to him, the government has announced a decade-long campaign (School Sector Development Plan 2016-2023) to transform the community schools across the nation into a modern, technology-friendly and better learning facility.

Stating that the education was the main basis for development and prosperity, Minister Pokharel also said that the government aimed to incorporate technical education in the school level so as to produce skilled human resources.

Pokharel further asserted, "The school should not only be declared a model school for the sake of declaration, it should also provide quality education and all the teachers, principal, staffers, teachers and parents should work hard for that."

Vice-Principal of the school Udaya Gharti informed that Bir Balbhadra was the first school in Rolpa to launch English-medium classes.

Revolving Fund for educational reform

Along with the declaration of model school, announcement was made to set up a revolving fund in the school for ensuring reform in education system in the school.

On the occasion, Vice-President Pun pledged to offer his one-month salary for the same purpose. Similarly, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barshaman Pun and former Speaker Onsari Gharti vowed to donate their one-month salary for the establishment of the Fund.

Tanka Prasad Acharya Foundation also followed the suit and announced monitory assistance amounting to Rs 900,000 to set up the Fund. Executive Director of the Fund Govinda Dulal said that he was also going to contribute at his personal level for the same.

Likewise, VP Pun inaugurated a computer lab set up in aid of the Gorkha Memorial Fund in the UK.