Every institutional (private) school should provide at least 10 per cent scholarship to poor, disabled, female, Dalit, Janjati students; to the children of those injured in the people’s movements and martyrs; and to the children of those declared ‘enforced disappeared persons’. However, most institutional schools in Jajarkot have not adhered to the existing legal provisions that dictate scholarships for students from these select groups.

“We are six months into the current academic year and none of the private schools has submitted their reports about the scholarships so far,” said Kriti Thapa, chief at the education unit of Bheri Municipality, who is also the chief of the scholarship management committee. There are around 40 private schools in the district.

As per the Education Act, an institution should submit its report regarding the 10 percent scholarship provided to different student groups to the education unit of the respective local unit within one and half months of the academic year.

The Act also states that a separate scholarship management committee should be formed in the school and the local unit to decide the scholarship criteria. However, such committees have not been formed in most of the schools and local bodies.

Jhalak Budha, the provincial secretary of Private and Boarding School’s Organisation Nepal, admitted to not providing 10 percent scholarship to select students as per the existing legal provisions. He, however, said that private schools did provide scholarship to students, but without fulfilling the legal process. He assured he would take initiatives to distribute the scholarship to the students as per the spirit of the legal provisions.

Most of the students and guardians are unaware of the scholarship provision.

Chief District Officer Janakraj Panta said the institutional schools should provide the scholarship to the deserving students at any cost. “We will take strict action against schools who fail to provide the scholarship as stated by the law.”