KATHMANDU, April 30: The government and the agitating Nepal Teachers’ Association (NTA) have initiated what are being described as ‘decisive’ talks in an effort to resolve the ongoing dispute.
A delegation from the NTA arrived at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Singha Durbar at around 8 PM on Tuesday to begin negotiations.
Teachers who promised to reach 'decisive agreement' fail to att...
This development comes after the NTA had earlier rejected an invitation from the government for dialogue. However, in a meeting held throughout the day on Tuesday, the NTF decided to reconsider its protest strategy if the government fulfills key demands that can be addressed through a Cabinet decision.
The meeting further decided to simultaneously continue both protests and talks with the government. “The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has prepared a nine-point draft agreement. If the Cabinet endorses it, we are ready to modify the form of our protest. A decision has also been made to continue the dialogue process,” said an NTA leader.
Public school teachers have been protesting in Kathmandu for 28 consecutive days, demanding the enactment of a new Education Act that reflects their concerns.
With both sides quietly working on the draft agreement over the past few days, Tuesday’s talks are widely expected to result in a breakthrough. Negotiations were still ongoing in Singha Durbar by the time Republica went to press.
