Kathmandu, April 3
The winter session of Parliament concluded on Tuesday, and by Wednesday, teachers gathered in Kathmandu, demanding the enactment of the School Education Act. However, with the session over, an immediate passage of the Act seems unlikely.
The Nepal Teachers’ Federation, which has been leading the protest, sees an ordinance as the only alternative in the absence of a functioning Parliament. “We have been protesting since January 5, for two months now. Had the government been sincere, the Act would have been passed. Why was Parliament closed? Now that the session is over, how will the government proceed? That is up to them. We are neither the government nor Parliament members; we only demand the Act. Whether it comes through an ordinance or in the summer session, that is their decision. Until the Act is passed, our protest will continue,” said Federation President Laxmi Kishor Suvedi.
The Federation’s Vice President and protest mobilisation committee coordinator, Nanumaya Parajuli, also supports the ordinance route. “Whether Parliament is in session or not is beyond our control. If the government has the will, it can bring the Act through an ordinance. Other matters have been handled through ordinances. Our protest is not new; it has been two months,” she said.
Currently, the School Education Bill is under review by the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee of the House of Representatives. The committee has formed a subcommittee to work on it and opposes bringing the Act through an ordinance.
“Should laws be made through ordinances? Should we ruin the education system? If an ordinance is issued, what is the point of the Bill? One and a half years of effort would go to waste,” said committee chairperson Ambar Bahadur Thapa. “The government has already committed to presenting it in this fiscal year. There is no need for protests. In fact, the Act will provide more than what is being demanded. Continuing protests only harms education.”
Meanwhile, teachers have arrived in Kathmandu to intensify their movement. According to President Suvedi, 120,000 teachers and staff gathered on Wednesday, with more expected to join on Thursday. “Teachers will continue arriving. The protest will persist until the Act is passed,” he affirmed.
The ongoing protest has led to school closures, disrupting answer sheet evaluations, result publications, and enrollment campaigns. Teachers blame the government for this. “Enrollment will be affected due to the protest, but the government is responsible for not passing the Act,” Suvedi stated.
Protests are set to continue in the Maitighar-Baneshwor area today as well.
