Kathmandu: In response to the devastating floods and landslides triggered by three days of relentless rainfall, the government has announced the closure of all schools nationwide for a period of three days. This decision was made during an emergency cabinet meeting chaired by Acting Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh on Saturday.
Minister for Education, Science and Technology Bidya Bhattarai emphasized the need to prioritize student safety, particularly for those traveling through disaster-affected areas. “All lower secondary, secondary, and higher secondary educational institutions will be closed for three days,” Bhattarai stated.
Local authorities have been tasked with determining the appropriate schedule for reopening schools based on the specific risks in their areas.
Additionally, Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung confirmed that ongoing examinations will be halted until further notice. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) will oversee the rescheduling of these examinations.
Minister Bhattarai noted that universities, including Tribhuvan University (TU), have been granted autonomy to reschedule their own examinations. TU has already announced that it will shift each day’s exam to the following day for students unable to attend due to the crisis. The university had previously postponed the entrance exam for the Bachelor’s of Agriculture and Animal Science program scheduled for Saturday.