Nepal teachers threaten to resume protests again

Kathmandu

Teachers in Nepal have warned they may restart protests due to doubts about the government's new education policies. The Nepal Teachers' Federation said the recently introduced School Education Bill might not include their concerns, despite past agreements.

Last week, the federation ended a month-long protest after signing a nine-point deal with the government. This deal followed long meetings with education officials and political leaders. Teachers had earlier protested in Kathmandu, causing delays in exams and enrollment activities across the country.

The new government plan talks about joining private and public schools to improve education and also proposes using the same curriculum for both. However, the teachers' group is upset. They say these ideas hurt the image of public schools and show the education ministry doesn’t fully understand the system.

According to The Kathmandu Post, the federation believes the final School Education Act may ignore earlier promises made to them. They warned that any change or delay in passing the law without their suggestions could lead to serious protests.

Federation chair Laxmi Kishor Subedi said they stopped their protest only after government leaders promised to pass the bill by June 29. But the group now fears those promises might be broken.

The protests earlier had disrupted school operations, including the grading of Secondary Education Examination papers and the preparation for grade 12 exams. Teachers are watching closely and say they will act again if their voices are not heard. Their goal is to make sure that the education law supports teachers and improves the overall system fairly for everyone involved.