Ei-iE

Following two months of continuous action, Nepalese teachers have been invited by the Ministry of Education to discuss crucial issues such as the public education system and rebuilding works after the earthquakes.

The Minister of Education, Ms. Chitra Lekha Yadav, agreed to meet with representatives of the Confederation of Nepalese Teachers (CNT), led by the two national Education International (EI) affiliates, the Nepal Teachers’ Association and the Nepal National Teachers’ Association, in Kathmandu on 8 September, a day that marks both Nepal’s Education Day and World Literacy Day.

During earlier labour action, teachers were not given the chance to cooperate and participate in ministry-related works, with their role restricted to teaching in classrooms. Nonetheless, during the latter part of their activism, a series of sit-in programmes were held in front of the Ministry of Education, the Department of Education and District Education Offices nationwide. This perseverence in their action has led the unions to the re-establishment of negotiations with the Ministry.

The teachers’ demands are related to the status of public education after the promulgation of the national constitution, the implementation of agreements signed between teacher organisations and the Ministry, as well as the rebuilding of the education sector after the devastating earthquakes which struck the country in April this year.