30-year-old Sasmit Pokharel, who was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Kathmandu-5 by defeating Congress General Secretary Pradeep Poudel and former UML Senior Vice President Ishwor Pokharel, has been given the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Youth Sports in the Balendra Shah-led government.

Sasmit was known among the younger generation for his style of clearly expressing his understanding and opinions about politics on social media. This same Sasmit has now not only taken a step in the parliamentary journey, but has also been given government responsibilities. Born in Kathmandu-5 on 1 Falgun 2052, Sasmit won the election from the same constituency where he was born.

Sasmit, who graduated in law from Kathmandu University, had completed his studies up to Plus Two in the United States. He is currently pursuing his master's degree at Tribhuvan University. Sasmit has also worked as an intern in Parliament.

His political journey started with Bibeksheel Sajha and he was active in Ujjwal Thapa's election campaign in the 2074 BS elections. Pokharel, who was also a leader of the Sajha Youth Organization and a member of the Central Committee of Bibeksheel Sajha, joined the National Independent Party along with Balendra Shah in the early days.

He was actively involved in the campaign to win Balendra Shah as the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City in the local elections held in 2079 BS. In 2079 BS, he ran as an independent candidate for the post of Kathmandu-5 (A) Provincial Assembly member. He was defeated at that time. After that, Pokharel worked as an education and assistant expert and assistant expert in urban planning in Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

The main challenge for the newly appointed Education Minister Pokharel is to bring an education and science and technology sector act in line with the constitution and federalism. Despite attempts to bring acts related to school education, higher education and technical education for 10 years, the former education ministers were not successful. The School Education Bill, which was registered in Parliament and reached the parliamentary committee, has also been withdrawn with the dissolution of Parliament. There was also a 29-day long teachers' protest before the Gen-G movement regarding the School Education Bill.

Professor Susan Acharya said that the newly appointed minister should immediately bring education-related bills. Although the draft bill related to science and technology has been prepared, it has not been able to move forward. 'The minister should be clear about public and private education and move forward with the education-related bill. The first responsibility is to promote public education,' she said. She suggests that attention should be paid to other work only after the law is made. 'So far, the government's policy has been to close community schools and expand private ones. The Education Minister should be clear about the future path,' said Professor Acharya.

She says that the Higher Education and Technical Education Act should also be moved forward simultaneously. She suggested that the system of making the Prime Minister the Chancellor of the university should be changed. ‘Minister Mahabir Pun had also taken the initiative to remove the Prime Minister from the position of Chancellor.’ It had not been completed. Now the work should be completed,’ she said. Another suggestion is to abolish the fraternal organizations of teachers, professors, employees, and students in the education sector. Acharya added, ‘Party-based fraternal organizations should be closed and only a common union should be maintained for the benefit of the people.’

She said that the division in the appointment of university officials to school principals should be ended. Experts suggest that appointments should be made on the basis of competition. ‘We need a program to support teachers. Teachers have become like orphans.’ "There should be a provision for teacher training to enhance capacity," she said, "Then, gradually, the examination system and evaluation system should also be reconsidered."

The report on the encroachment of hundreds of ropanis of land of Tribhuvan University, the oldest and largest in the country, remains unheeded. Even though the Sushila Karki-led government made the report public, the Vice-Chancellor of Tribhuvan University and other officials have not shown interest in implementing the report and bringing back the land. Experts suggest that the new Education Minister should take the initiative to bring back the encroached land of educational institutions with the help of the university and the government.

Former Secretary Hari Lamsal advises the Education Minister on 5 points. First, he said, a conducive environment should be created to work in the changed situation. "It should be clear how to coordinate work, whether within the ministry or with the provinces and local levels," he said. Second, he said, service delivery should be improved. Former Secretary Lamsal suggested improving the service flow of the examination work that is crowded with service recipients (students) and the office that issues foreign permits.

Third, he pointed out that some offices can be adjusted. ‘In some places, the union and the provinces are doing the same work and how to work should be adjusted,’ he said. ‘The adjustment of CTEVT, the adjustment of the University Service Commission has also been raised.’ He urged Education Minister Pokharel to also pay attention to the budget formulation to decide what policies and programs to decide in the education, science and technology sector. ‘The minister can bring new policies and programs through the budget.’ He said. Former Secretary Lamsal said that emphasis should be placed on formulating acts and laws that will have a long-term impact.

Educationist Tika Bhattarai says that the Education Minister should move forward by asking the employees of the ministry for a list of work. ‘Employees know what work needs to be done and what work does not.’ We should ask for a list from them and give them the responsibility to do the work,' he said, 'Then, after consulting outside, we can determine the immediate and long-term work of our policies and programs.'

Bhattarai suggested that the newly appointed Minister of Education should immediately embark on the path of issuing a new act or amending the act. 'The recommendations of the High-Level Education Commission's report of 2075 are sufficient for the Minister of Education to move forward. How much can be implemented? How much cannot be implemented? It should be determined,' he said, 'The right to school education has reached the local level. It should be clear how to coordinate and collaborate with the local level.'

What are the challenges in the sports sector?

When the Asian Games were held in Hangzhou, China in 2023, one fact that everyone realized was why Nepal had such a large participation in the largest competition of the Asian Games? Nepal had participated in 29 games and the number of players representing Nepal was 253. In fact, Nepal was one of the countries that participated in the competition in the largest number, in the top ten.

But the medals that Nepal won were only one silver and one bronze. Nepal's participation in most of the games was very weak. Nepal's participation in such games was only for name, the defeat suffered by the opponent was saying, it would have been better if they had not participated in these games. It was as if these players had only come to visit China. In the end, it was like a conclusion that participation in the Asian Games should be by right, not by desire.

The next edition of the Asian Games is being held in Japan in September this year. This is the biggest opportunity for Nepali sports to participate this year. In such a situation, the question now is, what should Nepal's participation be like? The answer to this question is very important for the future of Nepali sports. In particular, classification of sports is also necessary in Nepal. There are some sports in Nepal, whose popularity is widespread, these sports are largely self-reliant.

This may be a challenge for the newly appointed Sports Minister. He also has some past examples as an alternative. The 2006 Asian Games included only 51 players. Shortly before the Asian Games in Qatar, the South Asian Games (SAG) was held in Sri Lanka. Where Nepal won a total of 55 medals, including 9 gold, 15 silver and 31 bronze medals. All 51 players who won medals in the SAG were made to compete in the Asian Games. That is, if the new Sports Minister sets standards by setting an example from the past, the 'jumbo team' that goes to compete in big international events can be brought to the required size.

Moreover, these games can be sold in the market. Football, cricket and volleyball are some examples of this. These are the games that have big competitions in Nepal's domestic structure. International participation is also widespread in these games. Moreover, for games like football and cricket, there is good support from international organizations. In that sense, these games are rich to a large extent. There was one approach to looking at such games.

The government needs to invest more in cricket, especially in infrastructure. If at least one province has a well-equipped stadium, the foundation of Nepali cricket will be further strengthened and it can take Nepali cricket to a higher level. The work of Bhadrapur Campus Ground in Jhapa, Baijnathpur Stadium in Biratnagar, the proposed Ramjanaki Multi-purpose Stadium in Janakpur, Pokhara Cricket Ground, Siddhartha Stadium in Bhairahawa, Lamahi Cricket Stadium in Deukhuri in Dang, and Dhangadhi Fapla Stadium is under construction. The responsibility to complete this will lie with the new Sports Minister. The lower international cricket ground in Mulpani, which is being built with the government's investment, is now playable. When the government does not hand it over for use, CAN is forced to apply to the National Sports Council (NSC) to play the game.

Nepal's popular sport is in a state of suspension while Sasmit Pokharel is taking over as the new Sports Minister. The government's own body, NSC, had suspended the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) just three days ago. The NSC had decided to suspend ANFA for 3 months for violating the Sports Act and trying to enter the election. Since the dispute is only going to get longer, it is both a challenge and an opportunity for the new Sports Minister to show a way out of the football dispute. Nepal's main football ground, Dashrath Stadium, is deprived of hosting major international matches. Sports Minister Pokharel should find a way to make it suitable for hosting major international football matches at the Dasharath Stadium by identifying its main problem. There are some specific sports that Nepal should invest in, from which we can expect international medals. Karate is currently leading in such games. Along with this, other martial arts sports, such as taekwondo, judo, etc. The current controversy over football also needs to be debated. What Nepali sports need to understand is that this genre depends on the international parent organization and the competitions it organizes. Investment in physical infrastructure is needed, but these do not necessarily need to be large. In fact, the existing infrastructure should be preserved and developed. Cricket and football do not currently require large stadiums that can accommodate thousands of spectators, but we need well-equipped stadiums in which coaches can operate properly.