Sumana Shrestha

Sumana Shrestha (सुमना श्रेष्ठ, IPA: /sumʌna sresʈʰʌ/ ), is a Nepalese politician and former Minister of Education, Science and Technology. Since 2022, she has held the position of Member of the Federal Parliament in the House of Representatives of Nepal, representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party. Additionally, she is a member of the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee of the House of Representatives. Shrestha holds the position of Central Committee member and serves as the chairperson of the Education Department and the Science, Communication, and Information Technology Department of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

Early life and education
Sumana Shrestha, born on 1 October 1984 in Kathmandu attended Saraswati Boarding Higher Secondary School in Chhetrapati, Kathmandu from where she completed her School Leaving Certificate. Subsequently, she pursued her A-Levels in Economics and Mathematics at Budhanilkantha School. Following her high school graduation, Shrestha continued her studies at Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College in the United States.

In 2007, she achieved magna cum laude honors upon graduating from Bryn Mawr College with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics and Mathematics. Shrestha then enrolled into MIT Sloan School of Management where she earned her Masters of Business Administration.

Member of parliament
On December 14, 2022, Sumana Shrestha was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives of Nepal as a proportional representative. Shortly after, on December 22, 2022, she took her oath in Nepal Bhasa, along with other members of the House of Representatives, officially stepping into her role as a Member of Parliament.

Sumana gained national recognition after her inaugural parliamentary address on January 21, 2023. In this speech, she introduced herself as a management consultant and advocated for a Parliamentary Calendar to enhance parliamentary efficiency. Notably, her closing remarks, where she called out her fellow MPs for referring to women MPs as 'cheli', garnered significant attention and made national headlines. Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist Leninist -UML) Chairperson KP Sharma Oli critics her personal life and blames as tourist minister who came to visit Nepal after marrying a foreign citizen and became a Minister.

Throughout her tenure in parliament, Sumana Shrestha has been actively involved in amending bills, achieving success with some proposals. On February 15, 2023, she proposed an amendment to the Food Hygiene and Quality Bill 2077. Just three days later, on February 18, 2023, she submitted a comprehensive set of 34 proposed amendments to the Federal Parliament Secretariat. These amendments primarily emphasized the importance of expert participation in various committees, streamlining business procedures for enterprises, and categorizing businesses based on their capital. Subsequently, on February 22, 2023, a bill to amend certain acts related to the Prevention of Money Laundering and Promotion of Business Environment-2079 was introduced in the House. This development occurred against the backdrop of Nepal facing the risk of being greylisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Minister
Sumana was appointed Minister of Education, Science and Technology in the coalition government under Pushpa Kamal Dahal on 6 March 2024.

Parliamentary Calendar
Shrestha has been a vocal advocate for establishing a mandatory parliamentary calendar within the House of Representatives. She articulated her stance in a published article on January 18, 2023, emphasizing the critical role that good governance should play, starting with the House itself. Consistently, she authored media articles and participated in interviews to underscore the vital importance of such a calendar. On January 30, 2023, she took a proactive step by presenting a model format of the parliamentary calendar during a meeting of the Parliamentary Drafting Committee. Nearly two months later, on March 22, she further pursued her goal by submitting an amendment proposal to the House of Representatives Rules 2079, advocating for the implementation of a mandatory parliamentary calendar. Unfortunately, her proposal faced rejection by the majority.

Education Reform
Shrestha has consistently raised students' concerns about the Non-Objection Certificate from the Ministry of Education and the equivalence certificate from Tribhuvan University, both within the parliamentary chambers and in public discussions. She introduced an amendment to streamline the equivalence procedures. Subsequently, Tribhuvan University has revised its equivalence procedures to simplify the process for graduates from the top 500 universities according to the Times Higher Education Rankings.

Bill Hackathon
Shrestha has consistently advocated for the direct involvement of the general public and citizens in the legislative process. She proposed a concept called the "Bill Hackathon" in an article published on February 16, 2023.

Sumana Shrestha Secretariat
Sumana has established her secretariat to support her role as a Member of Parliament. The Secretariat plays a crucial role in aiding the MP with research and organizational tasks. It has demonstrated a proactive approach in arranging policy dialogues and seminars, both in physical and virtual formats. The members of the secretariat have created a virtual platform using Google Docs to actively solicit public feedback during the amendment of any Bill. They provide valuable research assistance, gathering information and data when Sumana participates in discussions and contributes to deliberations in Parliament. The media has applauded the Secretariat for its contributions, acknowledging its role in enhancing the effectiveness of her presentations and garnering appreciation from various quarters.