SIRAHA, April 20: As the academic session for 2025/26 draws close, several municipalities in Siraha district have begun enforcing the use of textbooks from specific publishers in private schools, a move that critics argue violates national education policy and raises serious concerns about potential collusion between municipal authorities and publishing houses.
On April 2, the Education Department of Siraha Municipality issued a formal notice mandating uniformity in textbooks across private schools within the municipality. The circular not only instructed schools to follow this directive without exception but also explicitly listed the names of the approved publications. The circular, signed by Acting Chief Administrative Officer Baliram Yadav, stated that the decision was made by the Municipal Education Committee and warned that any school defying the order would face punitive measures.
According to the directive, Nepali textbooks for grades one through seven must be sourced from Takshashila Publication, while grades eight to ten are required to use books from the Janak Education Material Center. For English, schools must use Times Publication textbooks for grades one to seven and Janak Education Material Center for grades eight to ten. Mathematics textbooks from grade one through ten must be taken exclusively from Vedanta. Additionally, Science and Technology books across all grades must come from Bidyarthi Publication, and Social Studies textbooks must be from Readmore Publication.
This is not the first instance of such a policy being enforced in the district. Mirchaiya Municipality had already implemented a similar practice in the previous academic year. According to Bharat Baniya, head of Mirchaiya’s Education Section, private schools in the area are using books published by Vedanta, Asmita, Oasis, Ekata, Readmore, Bidyarthi, and Brilliant Publications. Like Siraha Municipality, Mirchaiya also issued its directive in the name of textbook uniformity, effectively mandating which books private schools must use.
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However, legal experts and education officials argue that these directives from the local governments directly contradict education regulations. Deepak Raj Kalauni, Head of the Education Development and Coordination Unit in Siraha, stated that private schools are free to choose textbooks from any publication listed by the Curriculum Development Center (CDC).
Kalauni emphasized that from a legal standpoint, municipalities have no authority to limit the choices of private schools to specific publications. He further clarified that if any institution or individual forces schools to adopt certain publishers, it constitutes an illegal act.
Amid growing concerns, anonymous municipal staff have revealed that representatives from various publishing houses frequently visit municipal offices offering commissions—sometimes as high as 20 to 25 percent—in exchange for exclusive implementation of their textbooks. One municipal employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity, admitted that such offers are common, although claimed that their office had not accepted any.
Umesh Chaudhary, the district president of the Private and Boarding Schools’ Organization Nepal (PABSON) in Siraha, accused municipalities of trying to establish a syndicate under the guise of uniformity. He alleged that local governments are making commission-based deals with publishers and forcing schools to comply.
“What’s happening is no less than issuing an executive order. This is not acceptable,” Chaudhary said. “We will pursue legal remedies.”
The suspicion of commission-driven decisions is not limited to critics alone. Even a chief administrative officer from another municipality in Siraha confirmed the practice, stating that publishers often approach municipal offices with offers of significant commissions in exchange for textbook mandates. The official, who also spoke under the condition of anonymity, admitted that such arrangements are legally indefensible.
Despite mounting criticism, Acting Chief Administrative Officer Baliram Yadav of Siraha Municipality defended the policy. He insisted that the directive was implemented solely in the interest of students and their parents. Speaking to Republica, Yadav denied any allegations of financial dealings with publishers and claimed that no representatives from any publication had approached his office.
“The claim that we made deals for commission is entirely false,” he said, “This policy is about improving consistency and quality for our students.”
