Nepal´s Public vs Private Schools & Dr. Bhattarai´s Education Tax Policy
Prakash Bom
November 10, 2008
Failure of public school system of Nepal is the result of centrally controlled government mechanism of "employee-expert-run" education system. The system is anti-democratic because it is devoid of electoral representations of people to play responsible rule in education. The model is communist replica that has been fit at ease in the feudal mind-set of ruling elites of feudal government establishment for centrally controlling education system by experts of education ministry of the government.
By no means, could public education have been successful without the electoral representation system in the local level of governance of the most of developed nations at large. In most of the federal government system of the developed nations the public education system is structured for elected local representatives of the school district to implement education as per the policy of the state and federal government in order to meet national standard.
Therefore, if Dr. Bhattarai and Maoist led government are inclined to continue with the current public school system of Nepal then it will be anti-democratic. Prior to state restructuring, which will define the formation of states, local governments and school districts of each local constituency of entire nation for people to take nation building responsibility, the "government-employee-expert-run" system will be undemocratic and therefore it will not yield quality education. Such a socialist model without the electoral representation of people in the local school district levels will be failure.
As a matter of fact, the current private school system of Nepal is more democratic than the socialist replica of the current public school system because it is at least represented by some organizations that are formed with some sort of electoral processes. However, private schools are not established as "non-profit" organizations, which they should have been, because government has not yet set the policy and regulations for private schools to serve as "non-profit" organizations. If private schools have such option then Dr. Baburam Bhattarai´s current taxation could have no legal provision to impose upon "non-profit" private schools.
It is a thing for private school organizations to ponder over with the history beyond the South Asian private school system, mainly of India. For example, those private education institutions such as elementary, middle, high schools, colleges and universities of the United States of America registered as "non-profit" organization under the state and federal regulation function differently in regard to taxation. First of all "non-profit" private education institutions by default are tax exempted. However, their tuitions and fees must yield quality education all above to meet the state and federal standard. And, their savings and endowments must be invested in education and research.
American´s most successful private schools, colleges, and universities such as Ivy League Universities – New York´s Columbia, Cornell; New Jersey´s Princeton; New England´s Yale, Harvard, Brown and so on function as "non-profit" institutions with its intra-organizational electoral system. It is a question whether the Maoist led government and private schools can redefine and relocate private schools as "non-profit" organization that must be formed with the intra-institutional electoral processes. If not private schools must pay business income taxes.
Similarly, the current socialist replica of public school will harm more than do good for people and the entire nation unless it is restructured with the electoral school districts in each constituency of local and state governments under federal government system. If not what good "government-employee-expert-run" system has had done so far and will do without the local electoral representation system in public school for people to take responsibility in the grass-root level.
Therefore, any socialist system that is devoid of people elected representation or electoral democracy will establish arbitrary "government-employee-expert-run" system that will attempt to run schools of district of Jumla, for instance, by the government employees who are non-local resident dominantly come from one of the metropolitan cities of Nepal. What good will this do if there is no direct electoral representation for locals to take the responsibility for running their own school district?
Similarly, how private schools should think to invest in some different area upon Dr. Bhattarai´s call is ridiculous if the government does not make policy for private school to serve the nation as "non-profit" education institution. Dr. Baburam Bhattarai´s such a call upon private schools is thoughtless and irresponsible on the part of the government responsibility if Nepal has not yet become a communist with Maoist´s capitalistic mixed economy system.
I hope Nepal is still the Federal Democratic Republic. Therefore, as in all democratic nations it gives private schools right to choose to become "non-profit" institution for serving people and nation with the quality education and employment opportunity for teachers, academics and etc.
Dr. Baburam Bhattarai´s education tax policy can be relevant to those schools, which choose to pay taxes as "profit" organizations. But his call for all private schools to consider for investing in other area than education is nothing but thoughtless syndrome of totalitarian dream for state control. Dr. Bhattarai has to understand the fact that the "non-profit" organization provision of the democratic government is one of fundamental factors of mixed economy system.
Therefore, I would like to honestly appeal Dr. Bhattarai as finance minister of Maoist led government of Nepal to introduce a redefined policy and regulation of "non-profit" organization to relocate current private schools of Nepal in order to have them invest their recourses in education and training, which is one of the most crucial factors of nation building processes. I would appreciate if Dr. Bhattarai could consider it by not making arbitrary statements driven by emotion of socialist dream of rule. I believe that true socialism can only be establishes with the electoral choice and processes for people.
Above all, the Maoist led government should not rush to do away with the private schools for the sake of corrupt current public schools system at this juncture where its fundamental responsibility is to draft the new constitution and bring peace to logical conclusion. If Maoist led government could not fulfill the fundamental responsibility of Constituent Assembly but get succumbed to dismantling established successful institutions such as private schools without profound democratic solutions for them to serve nation otherwise through education services then it will be outright destruction. Private schools ought to see clearly their right to redefine and relocate as "non-profit" institutions.
By no means, could public education have been successful without the electoral representation system in the local level of governance of the most of developed nations at large. In most of the federal government system of the developed nations the public education system is structured for elected local representatives of the school district to implement education as per the policy of the state and federal government in order to meet national standard.
Therefore, if Dr. Bhattarai and Maoist led government are inclined to continue with the current public school system of Nepal then it will be anti-democratic. Prior to state restructuring, which will define the formation of states, local governments and school districts of each local constituency of entire nation for people to take nation building responsibility, the "government-employee-expert-run" system will be undemocratic and therefore it will not yield quality education. Such a socialist model without the electoral representation of people in the local school district levels will be failure.
As a matter of fact, the current private school system of Nepal is more democratic than the socialist replica of the current public school system because it is at least represented by some organizations that are formed with some sort of electoral processes. However, private schools are not established as "non-profit" organizations, which they should have been, because government has not yet set the policy and regulations for private schools to serve as "non-profit" organizations. If private schools have such option then Dr. Baburam Bhattarai´s current taxation could have no legal provision to impose upon "non-profit" private schools.
It is a thing for private school organizations to ponder over with the history beyond the South Asian private school system, mainly of India. For example, those private education institutions such as elementary, middle, high schools, colleges and universities of the United States of America registered as "non-profit" organization under the state and federal regulation function differently in regard to taxation. First of all "non-profit" private education institutions by default are tax exempted. However, their tuitions and fees must yield quality education all above to meet the state and federal standard. And, their savings and endowments must be invested in education and research.
American´s most successful private schools, colleges, and universities such as Ivy League Universities – New York´s Columbia, Cornell; New Jersey´s Princeton; New England´s Yale, Harvard, Brown and so on function as "non-profit" institutions with its intra-organizational electoral system. It is a question whether the Maoist led government and private schools can redefine and relocate private schools as "non-profit" organization that must be formed with the intra-institutional electoral processes. If not private schools must pay business income taxes.
Similarly, the current socialist replica of public school will harm more than do good for people and the entire nation unless it is restructured with the electoral school districts in each constituency of local and state governments under federal government system. If not what good "government-employee-expert-run" system has had done so far and will do without the local electoral representation system in public school for people to take responsibility in the grass-root level.
Therefore, any socialist system that is devoid of people elected representation or electoral democracy will establish arbitrary "government-employee-expert-run" system that will attempt to run schools of district of Jumla, for instance, by the government employees who are non-local resident dominantly come from one of the metropolitan cities of Nepal. What good will this do if there is no direct electoral representation for locals to take the responsibility for running their own school district?
Similarly, how private schools should think to invest in some different area upon Dr. Bhattarai´s call is ridiculous if the government does not make policy for private school to serve the nation as "non-profit" education institution. Dr. Baburam Bhattarai´s such a call upon private schools is thoughtless and irresponsible on the part of the government responsibility if Nepal has not yet become a communist with Maoist´s capitalistic mixed economy system.
I hope Nepal is still the Federal Democratic Republic. Therefore, as in all democratic nations it gives private schools right to choose to become "non-profit" institution for serving people and nation with the quality education and employment opportunity for teachers, academics and etc.
Dr. Baburam Bhattarai´s education tax policy can be relevant to those schools, which choose to pay taxes as "profit" organizations. But his call for all private schools to consider for investing in other area than education is nothing but thoughtless syndrome of totalitarian dream for state control. Dr. Bhattarai has to understand the fact that the "non-profit" organization provision of the democratic government is one of fundamental factors of mixed economy system.
Therefore, I would like to honestly appeal Dr. Bhattarai as finance minister of Maoist led government of Nepal to introduce a redefined policy and regulation of "non-profit" organization to relocate current private schools of Nepal in order to have them invest their recourses in education and training, which is one of the most crucial factors of nation building processes. I would appreciate if Dr. Bhattarai could consider it by not making arbitrary statements driven by emotion of socialist dream of rule. I believe that true socialism can only be establishes with the electoral choice and processes for people.
Above all, the Maoist led government should not rush to do away with the private schools for the sake of corrupt current public schools system at this juncture where its fundamental responsibility is to draft the new constitution and bring peace to logical conclusion. If Maoist led government could not fulfill the fundamental responsibility of Constituent Assembly but get succumbed to dismantling established successful institutions such as private schools without profound democratic solutions for them to serve nation otherwise through education services then it will be outright destruction. Private schools ought to see clearly their right to redefine and relocate as "non-profit" institutions.
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