A decisive meeting between the government and the Teachers’ Federation is scheduled to be held today.
Following positive talks that continued late into Monday and Tuesday nights, today’s meeting, set for the afternoon, is expected to be decisive. According to the Federation’s Vice Chairperson Nanumaya Parajuli, the meeting is scheduled for 2 PM.
The Teachers’ Federation held a meeting this morning and decided to attend the talks, stating that they would respond in kind based on how the government presents itself.
“It’s about introducing a progressive Education Act. So far, the government has not established a trustworthy foundation. We are attending today’s discussions as well, but there must be an assurance regarding the Act. If the government builds a reliable foundation, we’ll respond accordingly. If not, we’ll act accordingly,” she said.
During Tuesday night’s talks, the Federation presented a 9-point proposal, which will be discussed in today’s meeting. Federation leaders have said that if the Cabinet passes the 9 points, the modality of their protest will change.
After Tuesday’s meeting, Education Minister Raghuji Pant stated that the discussions had been positive and that a conclusion would be reached today.
The Federation’s 9-point proposal includes issues such as the salaries of school staff and ECD (Early Childhood Development) teachers, social security funds, hardship allowances, grade adjustments, order of precedence, medical treatment discounts for teachers in hospitals, salaries for lower-secondary level (Level 1) and upper-secondary level (Level 2) teachers, headmaster responsibilities, and relief teachers, among others.
The Federation has stated that if these issues are addressed not through the Education Act but via Cabinet decisions and if a timeline is set for issuing the Act, they are ready to alter the form of their protest.
Previously, outgoing Education Minister Bidya Bhattarai had prepared a 7-point proposal covering similar issues, which would have required the government to spend NPR 8 billion. Today’s talks aim to finalize and pass a resolution through the Cabinet based on those 7 and 9-point proposals.
