Nepal, Oct. 12 -- When the Balendra Shah government announced in late March its plan to dissolve party-affiliated student organisations from schools, colleges and universities, Nepalis received it with both praise and criticism. Many welcomed it as a long-due, necessary action to free educational institutions from political control, while others viewed it as an infringement of constitutional rights and silencing of political voices on campuses. Although a necessary step, the process used to implement it was legally and procedurally flawed. As a result, the Supreme Court subsequently halted the implementation through an interim order.

Political interference in education has been a persistent challenge in Nepal for decades. Universities st...