Most of the broadsheet dailies published in Kathmandu on Thursday, September 21, 2017 have given priority to news about the third round of local elections in Province 2. While the Nepali Congress leads the race, the UML, Maoists and the RJP are competing for the second spot.
Important
Results from the vote count of the local elections in Province 2 have started to come in, and it is the Nepali Congress that is in the lead. As of Thursday morning, the Nepali Congress has won the top post in two local levels, the UML four, Maoists two, and the RJP and Forum-Nepal one each. Similarly, the Nepali Congress is leading in 31 local bodies, the UML in 17, Maoists 21, RJP 17 and Forum-Nepal 16.
The Kathmandu Post, in its five-column report on the elections says, the RJP-N’s good showing despite internal disputes ahead of the elections is due t its stance on constitutional issues, according to analysts. The Post’s sister publication Kantipur, says the people in Province 2 are happy to elect their representatives and they have welcomed the new leaders with lot of fervour. Nagarik and Republica also have updates on the vote count.
Parliament passes Education Act amendment, education experts cross
Nepal’s Parliament, on Tuesday, passed a controversial amendment to the Education Act, making it possible for more ‘temporary’ teachers, most of whom are teaching on an ad hoc basis, to get permanent status. The Kathmandu Post, in its anchor says education experts Kedar Bhakta Mathemaa and Mana Prasad Wagle have resigned as members of the High Level Education Commission expressing serious reservations over the amendment. According to The Himalayan Times the contentious provision sets aside 60 per cent posts in community schools for temporary teachers, who just need to secure minimum marks in a test to get permanent status. “Passing such a bill will not help improve the quality of education imparted by community schools,” Mathema told THT. Kantipur, in its main story says that the bill has pushed Nepal 25 year backwards in the education sector. The report quotes experts as saying that political parties intervened in the education sector for short-term electoral benefits and this is not good for the country.
Ignored
Nepal police seek more personnel without plan to manage them
Republica, in its main story for the day, says Nepal Police is seeking 22,000 more personnel, but it does not have a plan to manage them under the new federal structure. The paper quotes sources as saying that the a section of senior officers is lobbying hard to get early promotions as a ‘federal dividend’. The constitution says that each province shall have its own police, but Nepal Police has ignored the provision to attempt to recruit police personnel on its own for the provinces.
Interesting
Gold for yarsa
Kantipur, in its anchor story for the day, says yarsa traders in Kathmandu who export the ‘Himalayan Viagra’ to China and Tibet are allegedly receiving payment for their products in gold. The report comes as police recently recovered 88 kg of smuggled gold from a car that was coming to Kathmandu from the Rasuwagadhi border crossing with China.
