Nepal: Teachers stage nationwide strike, demand new education act

Kathmandu, April 7 (IANS) Teachers in Nepal, under the banner of the Nepal Teachers' Federation, announced a general strike in school education on Monday, demanding a new School Education Act.

The strike aims to intensify pressure on the government to address their demands, local media reported.

The federation, which is the umbrella body of Nepal school teachers, urged the teachers nationwide to shut their schools and gather in Kathmandu to join the protest.

The federation instructed the teachers to refrain from fulfilling their responsibilities, including the preparation of results.

"A general strike has been announced in the schools starting April 7 to strengthen the ongoing movement. We urge all teachers and staff members to compulsorily participate in the educational movement in Kathmandu by closing all schools across the country," reads an appeal by the federation.

Additionally, the federation asked teachers to "not accomplish" responsibilities like answer sheet evaluation, and result publication, as well as, not attend training workshops, seminars or educational tours.

The announcement of the strike from agitating teachers came at a time when the preparations were ongoing to start evaluating answer sheets for the Secondary Education Examination and enrollment campaign for the new academic session. The new academic session starts from April 15 in Nepal.

"The government has frequently called them for dialogue. I personally have called the chairperson of the federation for the talks. I even met the protesters during the protest," Bidya Bhattarai, Nepal's minister for education, told the leading Nepali newspaper, The Kathmandu Post.

"They have refused to sit for dialogue, arguing there is nothing to discuss," the minister added.

Meanwhile, the agitating teachers stated that they are demanding a new School Education Act incorporating the agreements reached in the past.

"All we need is a new law. We are not ending the protest until the Act is enacted," said Laxmi Kishor Subedi, the federation's chair.

Teachers from across the country have gathered in Kathmandu since April 2, demanding the enactment of the School Education Act, which has been pending in Parliament despite previous commitments from the government, local media reported.

Carrying placards with slogans such as 'Respect the teaching profession,' and 'Enact the education act now,' teachers declared an indefinite street protest, calling it a decisive phase in their struggle for educational reform.

The move came after Nepal's President Ramchandra Paudel, on government recommendation, prorogued the federal parliament session on Tuesday without endorsing the school education bill that has been pending in a House committee for over a year and a half.

--IANS

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