Kathmandu, August 21 :

The students of the Council of Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) today organised a symbolic protest programme by taking classes at Maithighar Mandala for an hour from 11 am. The students demanded opportunities for further study in the concerned subjects.

The CTEVT Central Joint Students’ Struggle Committee also threatened to announce further protest programmes if the education ministry delayed implementing the report submitted on July 14. The report prepared by Laba Prasad Tripathee, joint secretary of Education ministry, has suggested providing an opportunity to the CTEVT students to pursue higher studies in the related subjects.

The panel also announced further protest programmes, including signature campaigns at various places throughout the nation on August 22 and submitting it to the prime minister, organising press conference on August 23 and to submit the demands in the House of Representatives and announcing further protest programmes if the demands are not met by August 24.

Around 10,000 students are studying in 74 educational institutes under CTEVT and they have been demanding that the Proficiency Certificate Level (PCL) students of CTEVT be given opportunity to pursue higher studies in universities. They have also sought equivalence of the CTEVT degree with that of the TU. The students of nursing, agriculture, pharmacy, ophthalmic assistant, health assistant and laboratory technicians have taken to the streets since July third week. The CTEVT graduates used to get enrolment in the TU for higher education until 1999.