Kathmandu, 20 August 2025: Ullens School is gravely concerned by the news published on August 16, 2025, in Nagarik Dainik, myRepublica and several YouTube channels regarding the transfer of Mr. Kumar Prasad Dahal, Director General of the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection. The news alleges that Mr. Dahal was transferred after attempting to regulate Ullens School, which is falsely linked to the Chairperson of the School Management Committee, Hon. Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba. This news is absolutely false and fabricated, clearly guided by the prejudice towards Hon. Dr. Deuba.
Under Mr. Dahal’s leadership, the Department inspected approximately 28 schools in Kathmandu and requested to submit various documents for review. Ullens Education Foundation (UEF), the founder of the Ullens School, complied fully with their request by submitting every single information they asked for. Following our submission, no formal correspondence, communication or penalty notice was issued by the Department, nor we felt the need to follow up with them. We assumed that they were satisfied with the information that we provided. We even didn’t feel the need to inform Dr. Deuba about all of this normal government monitoring by the regulating bodies. Therefore, Dr. Deuba was fully unaware of the matter. The subsequent publication of reports alleging her involvement in the transfer of Mr. Dahal was therefore both unfounded and deeply concerning.
The claim that Ullens School is owned by Hon. Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba is also grossly misleading. Dr. Deuba serves in the capacity of the Honorary Chairperson of the School Management Committee (SMC) since the inception of the school, which is duly constituted under the Education Act of Nepal. Ullens School is owned by Ullens Education Foundation, a profit-not-distributing company that operates Ullens school in two locations (Khumaltar, Lalitpur and Bansbari, Kathmandu). The Foundation has no individual or institutional owner, shareholder or investor.
Regarding the school’s fee structure, Ullens School has been categorized by the Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Education Department as Grade ‘A’ Special Category school which requires to determine its fee structure through a transparent and participatory process involving parents. The proposed fees are jointly reviewed by the Foundation and the SMC and submitted to Education Department of Lalitpur Metropolitan City (LMC) for their reference. Subsequently, the proposed fee structure is approved by the two-third majority of the parent body and then it is submitted to the Education Department of LMC for its final approval.
Regarding the allegations of operating unauthorized “foreign” programs, Ullens School operates K–12 programs duly authorized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST). Ullens School is the first school in the country to introduce the IB Diploma Programme, since 2009, after lawfully securing authorization from both the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Nepal. No program is run without authorization from the relevant government bodies.
The UEF strictly adheres to all protocols set by the Government of Nepal. It was among the first few institutions to register under the Nepal Government’s Social Security Fund (SSF) and has been recognized by the government for its outstanding contribution from education sector. UEF also fulfills its tax obligations in accordance with national tax policies and procedures. Since UEF is administered as Medium-Level Taxpayer based on its transactions, its tax assessment is carried out by the Inland Revenue Office every year. In light of these facts, Ullens Education Foundation respectfully urges the concerned media outlets to verify their information and issue corrections.
UEF remains committed to transparency and is always open to providing relevant information to parents, government authorities and the media. We condemn the false accusation and defamation of Ullens School and its SMC Chair Hon. Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba.
For further media inquiries, please contact:
Medin Lamichhane
Principal and Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
Ullens School
Tel: 9851092549
