National PABSON Raises Concerns Over Two-Day Public Holiday Impacting Academic Calendar Long-Term

The National Private and Boarding Schools’ Organization Nepal (National PABSON) has warned that the government’s implementation of a two-day public holiday will have long-term effects on the academic calendar at the school level. The government decided on Chaitra 22 to designate Saturdays and Sundays as public holidays and to commence the academic session from Baisakh 15.

In a statement released today, National PABSON President Geeta Rana Kshetri and General Secretary Pratap Bahadur Thapa stated, “The additional holidays will make it challenging to complete the prescribed curriculum on time. The Nepalese government and cabinet have made this decision to reduce petroleum consumption and conserve foreign currency reserves.”

National PABSON also highlighted that it will be difficult for daily-wage-dependent parents to manage childcare during the two-day break, which could have social and economic repercussions. Despite these challenges, National PABSON has requested that new admissions start from Baisakh 2 and teaching commence accordingly. The education regulations require at least 220 instructional days within one academic session.