The ruling CPN has failed to decide about leadership of the party's school department even through Monday's secretariat meeting.
Secretariat meeting has been postponed for two weeks after failure to reach an agreement in the meeting held at the prime minister's official residence in Baluwatar. "The next secretariat meeting will now be convened on August 13," CPN Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha told Setopati after the meeting.
CPN has agreed to share leadership of its 32 departments among former CPN-UML leaders and CPN (Maoist Center) leaders with the former getting to head 18 and the Maoists 14. But the leaders have yet to agree about the 33rd.
The party has failed to formally appoint heads of even the 32 departments due to disagreement over the school department.
CPN secretariat members from the erstwhile CPN-UML earlier on Monday decided that the two chairmen should conclude the issue of appointing school department chief, secretariat member Jhala Nath Khanal told Setopati after the meeting held at Baluwatar to forge strategy for the full secretariat meeting scheduled for later Monday.
CPN has yet to decide whether the school department should be headed by leaders from erstwhile CPN-UML or CPN (Maoist Center).
Secretariat meeting was postponed twice earlier after two chairmen failed to agree on leadership of the department.
KP Sharma Oli is adamant that secretariat member Ishwore Pokharel should lead the school department while Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal insists that another secretariat member Narayan Kaji Shrestha should get the department.
Former Maoist leaders vehemently oppose appointment of Pokharel saying a person who has been lobbying to make people's multiparty democracy the united party's guiding principle should not be made chief of the school department but former UML leaders are not unanimous on Pokharel.
Senior leader Jhala Nath Khanal, who is also a member of the nine-strong secretariat, has already stated that he will accept the responsibility if the party decides to hand over the department to him despite already agreeing to head the policy and academy department.
There were separate meetings between the two chairmen, the former UML leaders and the former Maoist leaders in the past week to discuss about the school department.
The leaders are trying to forge consensus on either Pokharel or Shrestha. The party may look for another leader from the secretariat to head the department or keep it with the chairmen if they fail to do so.
A secretariat source claimed with Setopati that there is very little chance of the department leadership going to leaders outside the secretariat.
Oli was head of the department in erstwhile UML and Shrestha in the Maoist Center.
