Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Mayor Balendra Shah seems to have a penchant for stirring up controversies through his unilateral decisions, but he has been receiving all-round praise, particularly on social media, for his decision to bring reforms in the education sector.

Shah’s drives such as ‘Textbook-free Friday’ in community schools within the city, his decision to provide scholarships to 10 percent of the students (mainly for those from poor economic backgrounds), and KMC’s directive to private schools to provide salaries to teachers on par with public schools have been well-received.

In the first week of June, the KMC published the names of 342 private schools within the metropolis that failed to provide details of scholarships they have given to students up to Grade 10. Many schools rushed to provide their scholarship details. By June 20, out of 504 private schools in the metropolis, 465 submitted the details, and the KMC estimates a total of 1,300 students will benefit from it.

Amid this, on Monday, Mayor Shah made yet another announcement that came as a relief for the poor, the underprivileged and the marginalised students. Now the KMC itself will select students who will get class 11 scholarships in private schools, starting from the current academic session. Shah’s Facebook post was shared more than 1,300 times, and has received over 6,500 comments, almost all positive, on the social network until Monday evening.

Mayor Shah also said that KMC will conduct a scholarship examination to select students who demonstrate exceptional academic aptitude but come from a weak financial background.

The Nepal Guardian Federation welcomed the mayor’s announcement but expressed doubts about its implementation.

“Yes, the KMC can conduct exams and give scholarships to the needy based on existing laws as it has the jurisdiction over schools up to the plus-two level,” said Suprabhat Bhandari, chair of the federation. “But how can it ensure that only deserving students get the scholarships?”

He added, “Good execution is important. Hopefully this is more than a social media stunt.”

According to KMC’s recent report, there are 504 private schools and 89 community schools in the metropolis.

The Higher Secondary Schools’ Association Nepal (HISSAN), however, said the KMC mayor’s proposal was unacceptable to them.

“Before making such a decision, shouldn’t the KMC have talked to the stakeholders?” said Yuvraj Sharma, senior vice president of HISSAN. “The private sector has been paying so much tax to the government.”

He accused the KMC mayor of imposing “dictatorship” on all tax-paying private educational institutions by making big announcements through social media instead of formally corresponding with them.

“If the mayor tries to become more forceful, its consequences will not be good,” Sharma said. “We are against the mayor’s decision. It’s totally unacceptable because he can’t make decisions unilaterally.”