KATHMANDU, April 7: Teachers took to the streets on Thursday (April 3), demanding the issuance of the School Education Act as their sole demand, and continued their protest on Sunday. Responding to the call of the Nepal Teachers' Association (NTA), teachers from across the country gathered in Kathmandu, but the government has yet to address their demands. On Sunday, they blew whistles as a part of the protest, urging the government to listen.
The NTA has warned it will launch a nationwide educational strike starting Monday (April 7) if the government fails to respond. In a press release signed by its President Laxmi Kishor Subedi, the NTA announced plans to begin the strike on Monday if the government remains unresponsive.
The NTA has also urged teachers to refrain from activities such as answer sheet evaluation, result publication, training, workshops, seminars, or educational tours during the protest period.
Ram Prasad Dhakal, Central Deputy General Secretary of the NTA, said teachers would boycott the school enrollment campaign until the government issues the School Education Act. He clarified that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, upon returning from Bangkok and arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport, neither addressed the teachers' protest nor spoke about their demands.
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"Although the Prime Minister remarked at the airport that teachers joined the protest out of trust in the government, our movement is not what he described," Dhakal told Republica. "We have taken to the streets to demand the School Education Act in order to improve the quality of school education and resolve the issues stemming from the poor management of various categories of teachers."
He pointed out that even by Sunday, the fourth day of the protest, the government had not called the teachers for decisive talks. "Our movement will escalate from Monday. We have already announced an educational strike, and the state must take full responsibility for any resulting consequences," he added.
He also stated that the NTA organized Sunday's whistle rally to urge the government to listen, as it has continued to ignore the teachers' demands.
Somnath Giri, President of the NTA, made it clear that continuing talks with the government holds no meaning. He announced that starting Monday, teachers across the country would shut down schools and launch an educational strike. "We don't want to listen to the statements, opinions, or thoughts of the Prime Minister, political leaders, or government officials," Giri told Republica. "We want the School Education Act—nothing else. We don't seek negotiations. Just give us the Act, and we'll return to our schools."
He held the state responsible for any situation that may arise from the nationwide educational strike starting Monday.
The NTA has demanded that the government pass a bill that incorporates past agreements, including provisions for job security, promotions, and benefits for all categories of school-level teachers, along with job security for school staff.
Uma Gautam, a teacher at Koteshwor Saraswati Secondary School in Koteshwor, Kathmandu, said teachers would not return home until the ongoing protest, now in its fourth day, reaches a conclusion.
The proposed bill places teachers under the jurisdiction of local governments. However, teachers have demanded to remain under the federal government, arguing that local levels involve excessive political interference. Since the constitution places school education under local governments, the government cannot fulfill this demand without amending the constitution.
In the agreement signed on September 22, 2023, the NTA and the government agreed to grant teachers periodic promotions every 10 years and require a minimum of five years of service for promotion to the special category at the secondary level.
The agreement also addressed the concerns of teachers and staff affected by past movements and conflicts. It ensured that any break in service-from the date of displacement to reinstatement, retirement, or resignation-would count toward retirement benefits, gratuity, and other entitlements.