The school had announced the closure shortly after agitating teachers affiliated to Institutional Schools Teachers’ Union (ISTU) staged a 15-minute sit-in in front of the school principal´s office on Monday to press for their demands.
The teachers’ union close to the ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) had put forth various demands to the school administration, setting a 45-day deadline to meet them. The teachers had staged protests as the deadline to meet the demands ended on Monday.
The St Xavier’s School chapter of ISTU had asked the school administration to adjust their allowances, ensure representation of teachers in the school management committee and increase the amount of gratuity to teachers in proportion to the amount collected from each new student, among other demands.
The school enrolls 130 new students each academic session. The school collects Rs 2,000 from each student for the purpose of teachers’ gratuity.
“The school management has unilaterally decided to shut down the schools for indefinite period,” said Hom Kumar Thapa, central president of the ISTU. “We have not forced the school management to close the school.”
Thapa said efforts are underway to resolve the differences between the agitating teachers and the school management through negotiation. “We will be forced to launch national level agitation if the management does not show its willingness to resolve the demands through dialogue,” he warned.
Related story
NPSEC threatens indefinite closure of community schools across...
