Nepal’s youngest Prime Minister, 35-year-old Balendra “Balen” Shah, has hit the ground running with a series of bold reforms just 48 hours after taking office. In a landmark decision to depoliticize education, the Shah government has banned student politics in all public and private institutions, mandating the formation of non-partisan ‘Student Councils’ within 90 days.

Aiming for a systemic overhaul, the PM has scrapped all internal exams up to Grade 5 to reduce academic pressure on children. Furthermore, in a move to shed “colonial baggage,” English medium schools with foreign names like Oxford, Pentagon, and St. Xavier’s have been ordered to adopt local or indigenous names by the end of this year. On the diplomatic front, Balen Shah, previously known for his hardline stance on India, sent a positive signal by expressing a keen interest in working closely with PM Narendra Modi following the latter’s congratulatory message.