District Education Office (DEO), Khotang has enforced an asset freeze of 350 schools operating in the district for failing to meet standard criteria.

The schools' accounts were put on freeze as punishment for failing to form management committee, avoiding social auditing and not making payment in arrears.

District Education Officer, Gyanmani Nepal, assured of releasing the accounts of the schools that immediately take steps to fulfill the criteria. "The schools are being run in a senseless manner," Nepal said, adding, "We have put their assets on freeze so that at least they would be forced to abide by the rule."

The schools coming under the radar of the DEO and with assets on freeze have not doled out salaries to their teachers and staff for the past three months.

Meanwhile, the teachers have demanded with the education officer to release the assets without precondition. The district has 490 schools operating in the primary, secondary and higher secondary levels. The DEO action is driven with an objective to goad the schools into educational reform. RSS