KATHMANDU, May 19: Teachers have opposed a provision labeled as "consensus" in the School Education Bill report that the parliamentary subcommittee submitted to the Education, Health, and Technology Committee of the House of Representatives on Sunday.
Ram Prasad Dhakal, Deputy General Secretary of the Nepal Teachers’ Federation (NTF), rejected the subcommittee’s claim of consensus in the report and expressed the federation’s dissatisfaction.
He firmly stated that teachers would never accept any proposal in the bill that would cost them their jobs.
Deputy General Secretary Ram Prasad Dhakal told Republica that the bill’s proposal to give local governments the authority to dismiss teachers directly undermines teachers’ interests. “The NTF strongly opposes this provision,” he said. “We cannot accept such a harmful law.”
He added that the bill ignores the earlier agreement between the government and the NTF to bring early childhood education under the school structure and to include facilitators in the official school staffing quota. He accused the government of betraying the NTF.
Deputy General Secretary Ram Prasad Dhakal also accused the bill of adopting a regressive approach to teacher transfers, ignoring the previously agreed provisions.
"Under the current system, teachers become eligible for transfers after completing a one-year probation period—or six months for female teachers," Dhakal said. "But the bill's proposal to bar transfers for at least two years is a step backwards."
He warned that such a law would deprive female teachers, teachers with disabilities, and others with the opportunity to transfer closer to home. He also slammed the provision that gives local governments the authority to transfer teachers every five years, calling it inappropriate.
NTF General Secretary Tula Thapa criticized the education bill recently submitted by the subcommittee, saying it fails to serve the interests of education.
"The bill ignores all the agreements made with the NTF in 2075 BS, 2080 BS, and after the recent protest," Thapa said. "Teachers reject the provision that gives provincial governments the authority to appoint school principals, as well as the provision on teacher transfers."