KATHMANDU: Nepal Educational Republic Forum, which has decided to shut down all the private and public schools nationwide from Wednesday, is all set to gherao the Department of Education tomorrow.

Talking to The Himalayan Times today, Guna Raj Lohani, founder president of the NERF and the president of the All Nepal Teachers’ Organisation, said, “We are compelled to organise such protest programmes to draw the attention of the government, as it has failed to implement past agreements and address the problems and demands of the teachers.”

“We just want the implementation of the recommendations prepared after consulting the education ministry and the private and public teachers’ unions,” he said.

“We also want an end to all kinds of

discrimination against teachers and the disparity between the public and private education system,” said Lohani, adding

that nothing had been done by the government to address their woes.

He also emphasised the need of a clear policy for the development of the education

sector in Nepal. Lohani added that feudalistic working environment was still prevalent

in the education sector which was hampering its development.

He said they would immediately withdraw the three-day long school closure programme, if the government invited them for talks.

Schools, guardians plead for withdrawing protest

KATHMANDU: Private schools’ organisations, guardians’ association and

a human rights body today urged the Nepal Educational Republic Forum to withdraw its protest programme, citing its adverse effect on the studies of the students.

A meeting of the Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisation Nepal, National Private And Boarding Schools Association of Nepal, Guardians’ Association of Nepal, Higher Secondary Schools Association Nepal, Human Rights Organisation of Nepal and Children’s Federation Nepal today urged the NERF to immediately withdraw the three-day school closure programme.

A press statement jointly issued by the six organisations here, informed that educational institutions had already been shut for 12 days in the

beginning of this academic

session due to several strikes and bandhs.

Students would be deprived of education if teachers themselves would shut schools for such long periods, the statement added.

It maintained that such bandhs were unethical and were a violation of children’s right to education.

The statement has appealed to the government to implement the past agreements made with the teachers’ body to create an appropriate environment to continue educational activities.

The education sector has often been hit by the agitation of the private school teachers, who have been seeking pays and perks at par with their government counterparts. They have also demanded permanency of their jobs.