INSEC Bagmati Provincial Office monitored the ongoing teachers’ protest led by the Nepal Teachers’ Association in Kathmandu. Teachers from across Nepal have been demanding the issuance of the Education Act and have been continuously protesting in the Maitighar/Baneshwor areas of Kathmandu since April 2. During the monitoring, Lakshmi Kishor Subedi, the Central Chairperson of the Teachers’ Association, stated that even on the 23rd day of the protest, the government had not ensured the fulfillment of the teachers’ demands. He added that teachers were compelled to take to the streets due to the government’s failure to implement the six-point agreement previously reached between the Association and the government.
During the monitoring, INSEC Bagmati Province Coordinator Ganesh Bhandari and INSEC Information Officer Krishna Gautam discussed the situation with Chairperson Subedi and other teachers. They drew their attention to how the ongoing protest has disrupted the student enrollment campaign for the new academic session, delayed the checking of SEE answer sheets, and obstructed the Grade 12 examinations. In response, Chairperson Subedi said the Teachers’ Association is committed to completing these tasks through alternative arrangements. He added that they are compelled to continue the street protest as the government has not fulfilled their demand to issue the Education Act.
Likewise, Shankar Adhikari, Chairperson of the Unified All Nepal Teachers’ Association, expressed concern about students’ education. He explained that although teachers in Kathmandu are participating in the protest, teachers in rural areas are still helping with door-to-door campaigns. He added that even during the 45-day annual leave and on Saturdays, teachers are making informal arrangements to continue teaching, ensuring that students’ education and quality are not affected. On the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, President Ramchandra Paudel has called a session of both houses of the federal parliament for April 25 at 1:00 PM. The Ministry of Education formed a facilitation committee to address teachers’ demands through dialogue, but the issue remains unresolved.
Teachers from across the country, under the leadership of the Teachers’ Association, have been staging protests on the streets of Maitighar, Babarmahal, and Baneshwor every day from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
