The Nepal Teachers' Federation (NTF) and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha have held talks today.
NTF is on protest, expressing its dissatisfaction over several of the provisions in the bill related to school education that is registered in the Federal Parliament. Today is the second day of the teachers' Kathmandu-centred street protests.
On the occasion, DPM Shrestha urged the agitating teachers to make their protest decent. Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Ashok Kumar Rai was also present during the talks.
The teachers' leaders had taken stance that their protest movement would not be halted until their demands were fulfilled, as they had come to Kathmandu with the resolve to return home only after the demands of teachers and employees of the community schools across the country are met.
NTF president Kamala Tuladhar said that they have come to meet the DPM and Home Minister only to ask him to manage the route for the protest demonstrations and this meeting should not be interpreted as negotiations. She reiterated that the teachers' trade union rights should be guaranteed.
The traffic in the main parts of Kathmandu city has been affected due to the protest demonstration of teachers and the employees who have assembled at Maitighar Mandala of the federal capital to press for their demands.
There are 27,343 community schools throughout the country and 157,343 teachers, including permanent and relief quota teachers, working there. The number of students up to Class 12 in the community schools is 5 million 382 thousand and six.
The NTF has been calling for meeting their demands including promoting teachers working on temporary basis to permanent status, creating quotas for school employees, incorporating the ECD teachers who are outside the school system, counting the temporary period, providing retirement benefits, teachers' promotions, the appointment of head teachers, their transfers and work performance evaluation.
The Federation has been complaining that the bill does not properly address the agreements reached between the Federation and the government on February 21, 2019, and on February 21, 2022.
The government had registered the Bill on Amending and Integrating Laws Related to School Education in the House of Representatives on September 13.
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