Kathmandu, May 10

Various teachers associations today demanded that the Education Act be amended in a way to ensure permanent status to temporary teachers through internal competition.

At a programme organised in the capital today, Tilak Kunwar, general secretary, Confederation of Nepalese Teachers, said, they have demanded that the Education Act ensure permanent posts for temporary teachers as per the agreement reached in the past.

A draft of the amendment to the Act is currently in the Parliament for discussion.

“The education sector in Nepal faces a plethora of challenges,” he said, adding, “Had the government implemented the agreements reached in the past, all the problems would have been solved much earlier.”

Rajendra Paudel, general secretary, Nepal Teachers Association, said all teachers unions had united for the cause. “We have seen many governments come and go, but the way education sector is seen has not changed,” he said.

Shankar Adhikari, general secretary, Unified All Nepal Teachers Organisation, said the state had discriminated against the teachers and expressed his solidarity with temporary teachers.

“If we could jointly pile pressure, the government would be forced to solve the problems of temporary teachers,” he added.

Hemnath Chaulagain, acting president, TTCSC, said they were protesting against the government as temporary teachers were being discriminated against.

“We don’t want direct promotion as permanent teachers but want to gain the permanent status in a respectful way through internal competition.”