New law to study abroad

Kathmandu, Feb 16- The government has introduced a new legal provision that bars students from going abroad for higher education without getting permission from the Ministry of Education.

Issuing an Ordinance to amend some Acts regarding the education sector, the government has prohibited people from going abroad for higher education unless they get a no-objection-letter from the Ministry.

“No Nepali citizen can go abroad for higher education unless the Ministry of Education and Sports issues permission,” the Ordinance states. The government issued the Ordinance amending the Scholarship Act 1964, the Education Act 1970, the Technical Education and Vocational Training Centre Act 1988, the Sports Development Act 1991 and the Nepal Scout Act 1993 with some amendments in the areas. The Ordinance also gives chances for temporary teachers to be permanent.

“The Ministry will issue no objection letter if it sees grounds to provide it only after a thorough investigation,” states the amended provision of the Scholarship Act. The King put royal seal to the Ordinance on January 30 and it was made public on Monday.

“Without the ‘no objection letter’, the government will not provide exchange facilities of foreign currency for the persons who want to go abroad for higher education,” states the Clause 4(3) of the Act. The Ministry will recommend the authorities concerned to provide the facility only after anyone receives ‘no objection letter’.

However, the provision would not be applied for the civil servants and the Civil Service Act 1992 would govern the civil servants in this regard.Another provision in the Ordinance states that if a person does not return to the country or does not contact the Ministry upon the completion of his or her foreign degree with scholarship, he or she may face fine equal to the amount he spent during the study or the amount received as donation for the study.