Nepal Educational Republican Forum (NERF) -- an umbrella organization of six different Maoists-affiliated teachers´ associations -- forced over 1,000 schools into a shutdown, leaving almost 200,000 students out of their classes. [break]
The strike -- announced on Wednesday -- was called less than two months after Maoist-affiliated teacher associations, including the All Nepal Teachers´ Organization (ANTO), vowed to desist educational strikes. The vow was made in the presence of Education Minister Dinanath Sharma -- a Maoist leader.
"Despite our commitment to not call educational strikes, we had to close down schools on Thursday since the careers of two of our colleagues are at stake," said Lal Bahadur BC, General Secretary of the ANTO, one of NERF´s major constituents. "We can´t honor any of our commitments at the cost of professional security of fellow teachers", he fumed.
Thursday´s strike was announced after Daffodil Boarding School at Sarswotinagar and Daffodil Public School at Kapan, run by the same administration, allegedly fired two teachers -- Ramesh Dangal and Bijendra Pradhan -- on charges of opening unions and politically instigating students. However, the Daffodil schools´ authority has dismissed the charge that Dangal and Pradhan were fired from their teaching jobs.
"We didn´t fire any of them. We just asked them to leave the school for the day (Wednesday) since hundreds of angry students and parents were up in arms against them," says Hari Dahal, spokesperson for both the schools. "They (Dangal and Pradhan) should be thankful to us for this. Our act was just intended to avoid any untoward incident", he added.
Dangal, the coordinator of the newly-formed Daffodil Boarding School unit of the ANTO, however, says: "It was publicly announced that we were terminated. Moreover, we were manhandled." According to Dangal, Nil Karki, husband of Mina Karki, principal of Daffodil Boarding School, even roughed him up in front of teachers and students.
The disagreement between the Daffodil schools´ management and the ANTO arose after the latter submitted a "170-point-demand" letter. According to Dangal, they have demanded salary hike and other facilities on a par with public school teachers. Dahal says the school management was ready to hold talks with the school units of the ANTO.
"However, they pressed for the presence of ANTO leaders in the talks. We refused their demand. We asked them to settle the issue within the school," says Dahal: "They didn´t accept our requests and went on to call the strike." The ANTO has decided to shut down the Daffodil schools untill Dangal and Pradhan are reinstated and actions are taken against ´those who attacked them´.
However, neither Dangal nor Pradhan has lodged a complaint against the assailants at the police office. "We didn´t seek police´s intervention. Instead, we submitted an application at the District Education Office (DEO) of Kathmandu for a fair probe into the incident," Dangal said.
Meanwhile, the NERF has threatened to call for a nationwide educational strike on Thursday if the issue is not solved through talks within the next two days. "We will try to solve the issue with the help of representatives of PABSON and N-PABSON till Saturday," said Ramesh Rupakheti, ANTO´s Kathmandu district president. "If our attempts bear no fruits, then all the valley schools will remain closed on Sunday as well", he warned.
The ANTO has also vowed to not let the Daffodil schools open on Friday. But, Dahal says the schools will certainly open. "Who are they to not let us run schools?" asked he. "We have sought security from the administration. If any of our students is hurt, the ANTO should be held responsible."
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