Govt, agitating teachers strike 9-point deal, schools to resume from Thursday

By CB Adhikari, Kathmandu, April 30: Finally, series of dialogue held between the government and the agitating teachers concluded in a 9-point agreement on Wednesday, thereby ending the 28-day-long Kathmandu centric agitation of the public school teachers.     

With this, the Teachers' Federation urged all agitating teachers to go back to the respective schools and begin academic session from Thursday.     

Following the agreement between the government and the Teachers' Federation, Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Raghuji Pant, informed that all teachers and school employees would be provided discount during treatment at Civil Hospital, Kathmandu.     

The teachers working in temporary category- relief quota, learning grant, technical stream, special education, among others- will be allowed sick leave reserves, which (remuneration) would be provided in lump sum upon retirement.     

The remuneration to the early child development facilitator and school employees will be provided as per government scheme, the grade system to the permanent teachers will be aligned with civil service's grade system.     

Both permanent and temporary teachers of various categories will be provided remote allowance, and the teachers and employees at community schools will be linked to the Social Security Fund. The teachers will be included in the list of official hierarchical portfolio. Agreement was made also on managing grades of first class lower secondary and second class secondary school teachers.     

Moreover, the teachers, security persons, employees and journalists injured during the protest would be provided treatment for free of cost.     

The agreement was endorsed by the meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Wednesday itself.     

Minister Pant thanked teachers for the agreement that they would call off protest and return schools from Thursday. He also thanked all others cooperating to this end.     

Following the agreement, Chairman of the Teachers' Federation, Laxmi Kishor Subedi, also urged all agitating teachers to return respective schools and begin teaching learning and conduct exams. He thanked government, political parties, media persons and others for extending support to the teacher's demands.     

He reiterated on timely enforcement of the agreement.     

The new education bill will be passed by the federal parliament before mid June as per agreement. The agreement relating to the new bill was also signed by the chief whips of the major political parties and the parliament committee on education, health and IT.     

Earlier, the teachers gathered in thousands from across the country consistently demonstrated in the New Baneshwor to Babarmahal section of the Kathmandu Valley, posing various demands including the introduction of a new National School Education Act.     

The teachers who even adopted various artistic ways of posing demands and criticizing sheer delay in government's proper response to them clashed with security forces, causing injuries in the ultimate days.(RSS)