When Regulation Fails

Private schools in Nepal frequently engage in unethical practices such as early admissions and the collection of exorbitant fees that violate existing regulations. The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology has termed such practices a breach of the Education Regulations 2059 and a Supreme Court judgment that clearly prohibit such actions. It has directed schools to commencedmissions only after the official start of the academic session and to adhere to the fee structure established under the Institutional School Pricing Determination Criteria Directive 2072. It has also instructed local governments to ensure that schools reimburse parents who have already been charged unlawful fees. The ministry has warned that action will be taken under the Education Act 2028 if schools defy the mandate. Sadly, such warnings have been issued repeatedly over the years, with little impact. Schools continue to open enrolment early, often before parents receive clear direction from authorities. They also continue to charge admission fees at the start of each academic year, despite policies prohibiting such charges for students promoted to higher classes. Clearly, many rules remain confined to paper, and government directives are often ignored. Meanwhile, private schools adopt their own methods of structuring fees, making it difficult to curb such practices. When restrictions are imposed on admission fees, some institutions simply divide the same costs into multiple categories. Development fees, extracurricular activity fees, maintenance fees, and other labels often replace what is effectively an admission fee.