Ceiling On School Ad Expense Flayed

Stakeholders have demanded that the government scrap rules that limit the amount of money a school can spend on advertising. Speaking at an interaction titled ‘Advertisement in Education Sector: Importance and Impact’, school owners, advertising agency operators and experts said that the rule was not acceptable.

The government has fixed a ceiling of Rs 500,000 on publicity for schools in Kathmandu and even lower for those outside Kathmandu. Bhojraj Aryal, chairman of Infinity Media presented a paper in the programme and he said that such provisions were against the norms of a liberal society and economy. He said, “It will create problems for media, advertising agencies and advertisements creators.”

Dr Pradip Bhattarai, a media professional, said such a ban benefits established schools and penalises new ones. Ramesh Kr Silwal, Chief Executive of the Golden Gate College and Vice-Chairman of Higher Secondary School Association of Nepal (HISSAN), said, “The government should allow colleges to spend a certain portion of their income on advertisement.”