'Govt using PCL phase-out to escape responsibility'

Himalayan News Service

KATHMANDU: Various leaders today charged the government was evading the responsibility of providing intermediate level education to poor students in the name of phasing out Proficiency Certificate Level (PCL).

Speaking at an interaction organised by the agitating 11 student unions on the relevance of PCL in Nepal, Sunil Prajapati of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party said, “The interim constitution has guaranteed free and compulsory education up to the secondary level, but the government is trying to commercialise higher secondary education by phasing out PCL from Tribhuvan University (TU).”

Prajapati also said, “If any student is deprived of intermediate education due to PCL phase-out, TU will be responsible and students can claim compensation.” He also stated that students would lose their rights if they did not protest against wrong practices in the education sector.

CPN-Unified member Krishna Rana said the government’s failure to provide appropriate alternatives to PCL, indicated that it was trying to escape responsibility. Saying that the demands of students were genuine, CPN-United General Secretary Sriju Manandhar said, “TU will be forced to kneel down before students.” Manadhar added that the government was trying to deprive students of their right to education in the name of PCL phase-out.

A joint delegation of 11 student unions is scheduled to meet TU officials tomorrow. Likewise, they are scheduled to padlock the account sections of private plus-two colleges and the account sections and the principals’ offices in private and public Plus-Two colleges on August 2 and 3 respectively.

Manandhar said the offices of the Higher Secondary Education Board and TU would continue to remain padlocked.

The 11 student unions, include Madhesi Student Forum-Democratic, Tarai Madhes Students Front, All Nepal National Free Students Union (Fifth), All Nepal Students Union (Sixth), All Nepal Student’s Union-United, Nepal Revolutionary Student Union, All Nepal Students Union-Maoist, Nepal Student Forum, Nepal National Student Federation, Madhesi Student Forum and Student Front.