President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to newly appointed Education Minister Raghuji Pant on Thursday, April 24. The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Office of the President in Sheetal Niwas.

Pant’s appointment comes following the resignation of Bidya Bhattarai on April 21, leaving the Education Ministry vacant amid growing unrest in the education sector. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli formally appointed Pant on Wednesday.

Bhattarai stepped down citing health concerns; however, political observers noted tensions between her and senior leadership—particularly the prime minister and finance minister—regarding her approach to addressing demands from protesting community school teachers.

Since April 2, thousands of teachers from across the country have been staging protests in Kathmandu, demanding the swift passage of the long-awaited School Education Bill. The demonstrations have severely disrupted academic activities, forcing authorities to postpone the Grade 12 board examinations originally scheduled for April 24. The exams will now begin on Sunday, May 4, as the protests continue with educators halting classroom teaching and administrative duties.

Pant, a leader of the ruling CPN (UML), enters the ministry at a critical juncture. He represents the party under the proportional representation system in the House of Representatives.