The talks held between agitating teachers and school employees affiliated to the Teachers’ Union of Nepal and Nepal Educational Republic Forum (NERF) for the fourth day today decided to urge political parties to bring changes in the Bill on the Eighth Amendment of Education Act-1971.

Rose Nath Pande, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, informed that a meeting organised between the agitating teachers and officials at the education ministry finally agreed to take a joint initiative for amending the bill, which the Council of Ministers had approved on February 27.

“Education Minister Dina Nath Sharma, who chaired today’s talks, assured the teachers and school employees that they would talk to chief whips of all political parties within two days for the amendment,” he said.

The agitators have already launched the fourth phase protest programmes that include indefinite educational strike from March 11, which is likely to affect the upcoming SLC exams scheduled to begin from March 20. A total of 528,257 examinees will be hit by the strike.

According to Pande, today’s meet also decided to bring changes in education regulations, launch programmes for improvement in the quality of education, hold comprehensive discussion about teachers’ demands with political parties and ministries.

The teachers have been agitated for the past few months putting forth a 47-point charter of demands that includes permanent status to temporary teachers, appointment letters to teachers of institutional schools, pays and perks to institutional school teachers on a par with government schools, reinstatement of conflict-displaced teachers with compensation and free education among others.

Upendra Yadav, general secretary, NERF, said they will not withdraw their scheduled protest programmes until the government makes a written pledge to address their demands.

“If the education minister provides us a letter with signatures of chief whips and education department chiefs of political parties through Constituent Assembly Chair Subas Chandra Nembang by March 11 to make changes in the bill, we will withdraw our protest,” Yadav further maintained. “ Otherwise, there will be educational strike from Sunday,” the NERF general secretary informed. On his part, Pande, education ministry deputy spokesperson, said they have drafted an agreement paper, which would be signed by both sides tomorrow.

source:The Himalayan Times, 8 March 2012