The HSEB issued the 48-hour ultimatum on Wednesday after almost none of the plus two schools in the Kathmandu valley complied with the government´s previous instruction to remove the advertising boards.[break]
On July 5, Ministry of Education (MoE) had published a public notice, asking all the plus two schools in the valley to remove their advertising boards. Later, in tune with the MoE´s notice, HSEB also ordered the plus two schools to bring down their hoarding boards at the earliest.
However, even almost one month after MoE´s instruction, dozens of private plus two schools continue to boast of their achievements and facilities, which HSEB officials claim are not necessarily true, on large and colorful hoarding boards on roadsides.
On Wednesday, even at a meeting of a taskforce recently formed by HSEB to monitor plus two schools, the issue of colleges defying the government´s instruction was discussed. According to Suprabhat Bhandari, member of the taskforce, the meeting asked HSEB to take necessary action against the defiant plus two schools immediately.
The taskforce members have also submitted the photos of hoarding boards put up by 36 plus two schools across the capital as proofs of the acts of defiance. “Only one or two colleges have so far brought down their hoarding boards,” says Bhandari. “Others have defied the order.”
Earlier, the Prime Minister´s Office (PMO) had directed the MoE to take necessary steps to curb extravagant advertisements by private plus two schools, arguing that the students will have to bear the unnecessary publicity cost at the end of the day. The MoE, and also the HSEB, had later swung into action following the PMO´s written instruction letter.
Meanwhile, the taskforce members, led by HSEB Spokesperson Narayan Koirala, on Wednesday were prevented from monitoring St Mary´s Higher Secondary School, Lalitpur. “We wanted to enter the school premises,” said Bhandari. “But, we were kept waiting outside by security guards for almost half an hour. We could not enter the school.”
According to Bhandari, the HSEB has taken the issue very seriously and will write to the school to submit a clarification letter.
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