• Agitating students set to stage relay hunger strike

Kathmandu, November 13

As soon as the padlocked Teachers Service Commission was opened with the help of police, the agitating students who had locked up the office started a relay hunger strike.

On November 9, students had forcefully sealed the office by removing staffers who were working inside the office. Students have been protesting against the controversial 9th amendment of the Education Act, which was endorsed by the Parliament, and certified by the President on 23 October 2017.

Student became even more furious after the TSC’s call for job application was publicised on November 7, which will ensure jobs for older part-time teachers, leaving a few seats available for degree holding young candidates.

The amended education act ensured that thousands of part-time teachers would get the jobs of permanent teachers without having to take open competitive examinations. While it will deprive around 700,000 license holding students, who are preparing to appear in the Teaching Service Commission examination, of their jobs.

The 9th amendment has provisioned that out of total number of jobs 75 per cent should be chosen from current part-time teachers, without them having to take competitive examination.

Student sealed the TSC office with the notice that if anyone tried to unlock the padlock, they would have to face dire consequences of physical and material loss, and that TSC would be responsible for what happened.

After the padlock was removed, around 20 students sat for relay hunger strike from yesterday. President of the protest group, Pushkar Sharma, said, “We cannot accept a law that marginalises thousands of youths who are educated and hold licence by replacing them with older part-time teachers, who do not have to take any competitive exams.” He further said, “We will intensify this protest if we are ignored and our demands are not addressed.”

Chair of the TSC, Tana Gautam said, “We are not accountable for the problems these agitating students are having, we do not hold any criteria for addressing their demands even if we wanted to, their fight is against the law set by the government, so they definitely need to find more relevant places to protest.”