Kathmandu, April 30: The Government of Nepal and the agitating teachers have reached a nine-point agreement, leading to the suspension of the teachers’ strike on its 29th day. With this development, teachers have agreed to return to schools, and classes are set to resume from tomorrow.
The ruling parties, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, along with the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Health, and Information Technology, have pledged to pass the School Education Bill by Ashad 15 (end of June). During the talks with the Nepal Teachers’ Federation, Committee Chair Amar Bahadur Thapa, Nepali Congress Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire, and UML Chief Whip Mahesh Bartola committed to getting the bill passed within the ongoing parliamentary session.
The bill is currently under clause-wise discussion in a subcommittee formed under the main parliamentary committee, which was formed on Chaitra 8 (late March). The committee has set a deadline of Baisakh 23 (early May) for the subcommittee to submit its report.
Following this political commitment, the Nepal Teachers’ Federation has decided to suspend all protest activities, including school strikes and Kathmandu-centered demonstrations. Federation President Laxmi Kishor Subedi and General Secretary Tula Bahadur Thapa announced the decision in an official statement.
This evening, a meeting of the Council of Ministers approved the nine points agreed upon during talks with the teachers at the Ministry of Education. The federation stated that as several demands have been addressed by the cabinet and a commitment has been made to issue the School Education Act, the strike and demonstrations are being called off.
The federation has urged teachers to actively participate in school admissions, regular classes, and upcoming examinations. However, it has also warned that if the Act is not issued within the stipulated time-frame, they will be forced to launch a stronger street movement.
The protest movement had started on Chaitra 20 (April 2) demanding the implementation of the School Education Act as per previous agreements. #nepal #teacher
