Teachers close all private schools in Chitwan

CHITWAN, Sept 4: All the private schools in Chitwan district remain closed for the second day in a row on Wednesday after the teachers took to the streets demanding a salary hike on a par with their counterparts in public school.



Institutional School Teachers Union (ISTU-Nepal) forced a closure of all the private schools in Chitwan on Tuesday, and Nepal Institutional School Teachers Union (Nepal-ISTU) followed the suit on Wednesday. [break]



After the government increased the salary of its employees in the current fiscal year, private school teachers in the district have been demanding a pay hike, stating that they have been forced to work in lower wages.



On July 16, the agitating organizations had put forth a five-point demand, including a pay hike, to the Chitwan district chamber of Private and Boarding Schools´ Organization, Nepal (PABSON).



“After PABSON dismissed our demand, we were compelled to launch the protest,” said Bishnu Bahadur Bhujel, president of Nepal-ISTU.



Meanwhile, president of PABSON, Bel Bahadur Gururng, has denounced the protest launched by these organizations. “At a time when the problem is being sorted out through negotiation, the closure of the schools is unethical,” he said.



An association of the guardians in the district has also criticized the school closure as thousands of students were barred from their right to education, and has demanded the agitating teachers to sort out the problem through dialogue.

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