Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 24:

The CPN-UML today called upon the government and Maoist-affiliated All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) to resolve the problems in the educational sector through dialogues and also urged the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund and other international organisations to take initiatives for effective talks. More than 1.5 million students studying at 8,500 private and boarding schools have been affected and an estimated 1,75,000 teachers and employees are on the verge of losing their jobs due to the forced closure of these schools since April 14. “The problems cannot be resolved through this type of movement which does not have the support of students, teachers and guardians,” said a press statement issued by Pradip Nepal, secretary of the party secretariat.

Nepal flayed the government for not taking any measures to reopen the schools for such a long time. While addressing a regular weekly meet-the-press programme last Thursday, Minister of Information and Communication Tanka Dhakal had said that the government did not have any “plan to hold talks with the student outfit.” Many private and boarding schools outside the capital have not been able to distribute report cards to students due to threats of reprisal by the Maoists’ student wing. “Poor education in public schools and commercialisation and unhealthy competition in private and boarding schools has created class division and social conflict which is one of the main reasons that has added fuel to the ongoing conflict,” said the statement. “The government is provoking the victims (students, guardians and operators of private and boarding schools) against the rebels, which would be counter-productive in the long run,” the statement added.

Schools reopen

Kavre: Private and Boarding schools of Kavre district resumed classes with the initiation of the local civil society on Sunday. In an assembly called by the FNJ-Banke recently, the civil society,

human right activists, business community and educationists had concluded that there should be no political interference in schools. According to Hira Sharma, chairman of Private and Boarding Schools’ Association of Nepal-Kavre, all the schools in Banepa, Panauti and Dhulikhel reopened. —HNS