Nepal: Thousands of teachers protest over delay in endorsing education bill

The teachers, led by the National Teachers Federation (NTF), demanded further amendments to the bill, claiming it fails to address their concerns and is not justifiable in the current context.

The protest, which saw teachers marching along a 1-kilometre stretch near the iconic Maitighar Mandala, was the culmination of a series of protests and lobbying efforts by the NTF, demanding that the government endorse a bill with further amendments and implement the agreement signed in the year 2023.

The National Teachers Federation (NTF), an elected body of the country's school teachers, had issued a circular to members to attend Saturday's protest in Kathmandu. All teachers and schools in the Kathmandu Valley were instructed to join the protest.

The circular had allocated a specific number of participants, with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 1,000 teachers, for all 77 districts to ensure the participation of at least 36,000 teachers.

At the heart of the protest is the School Education Bill, which has been delayed due to the illness of Minister for Education, Science, and Technology Minister Bidya Bhattarai.

"The School Education Bill which the Government of Nepal has prepared for this winter session of parliament, it fails to address concerns of teachers. Teachers have long been facing problems, so it should come in rightful interest teachers, students and guardians. The School Education Bill should address all these concerns, which is what we have been demanding for," Keshar Bahadur Kunwar, one of the protesting teachers from the Kanchanpur District of Nepal, told ANI.

The bill is currently being held up in the parliamentary committee for deliberation, with discussions focusing on teacher management and the jurisdiction of local governments.

The subpanel has discussed several issues, including teacher management, and has received mutually conflicting suggestions. As the Constitution of Nepal 2072 lists school education as the absolute authority of the local government, local units want school teachers to fall under their jurisdiction.

Teachers oppose the idea of being governed by local authorities, fearing they will be treated based on political leanings. Instead, they want to remain under the federal government, which has agreed to keep them under its jurisdiction on multiple occasions.

Enactment of the Act is a must to implement the Constitution of Nepal, which can delegate most of the authority to manage the education sector at the local and provincial levels. However, almost a decade after the constitution came into force, the country is yet to get the Act.

"In the current bill, educational institutions have been divided as responsibility of three-tier governments. Education never can be a responsibility of a person or any private institutions, it completely is responsibility of the government and the Central Government should carry the responsibility. The School Education Bill should address all the existing problems. The Education Act was first introduced in the year 2028 B.S. (1971 AD), it has been over half-a century since its promulgation; it cannot address the demand of 21st Century. So we demand the upcoming bill to address all the concerning issues along with those which might arise in the future and our protest comes in line with it," Keshar Bahadur Kunwar, also the principal of a local school in Kanchanpur told ANI.

The federation held an interaction program in every school on February 11 this year among students, parents, and the school management committees to inform them about the demands of teachers and staff and the necessity of the movement.

On February 12, the agitating teachers held protest rallies at the local level wherein wore black armbands and chant the slogan: 'The School Education Act should be enacted from the winter session.'

On February 14, the disgruntled teachers also submitted memorandums to the chiefs of the Education Development and Coordination Units in all 77 districts nationwide. A week later, on February 21, the teachers also submitted a memorandum to the chief ministers and social development ministers at the provincial level.

The NTF has warned of stronger protests after March 8 if the government fails to address their demands. The federation has already held protests at local and provincial levels, submitted memorandums to government officials, and engaged in lobbying efforts.