KATHMANDU, Oct 13:  Nine student unions affiliated to various political parties demanded resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Gopal Man Shrestha and staged protests at the Ministry of Education on Friday.

The student unions also demanded scrapping of the ninth amendment to the Education Act, and affiliation granted by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) to various institutions. The student unions accused Minister Shrestha of continuously damaging education sector with wrong decisions.

The student unions included All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU) and All Nepal National Independent Students Union Revolutionary (ANNISUR). However, Nepal Student Union (NSU), affiliated to the Nepali Congress, did not take part in the protest on Friday though it is a part of the alliance.

"We are also against the CTEVT affiliation," said Pushpa Shahi, vice president of NSU, adding, “But we were not involved in the protest today.”

The parliament approved the ninth amendment to the Education Act in September. The amendment has paved way to controversially appoint 15,000 temporary teachers as permanent ones through internal competition while the CTEVT recently granted affiliation to 23 schools to operate various vocational programs.

 
• student unions
 
• education minister
 
• gopal man shrestha
 
• resignation