KATHMANDU, April 17: Ojashwi Acharya, a student at Shree Damkada Secondary School in Palpa, says her excitement about starting a new class has faded after the school did not publish her Grade 8 exam results. When she visited the school on Wednesday to inquire about the results, Principal Mohan Sapkota explained that the Nepal Teachers' Association (NTA) strike had halted academic activities, preventing the school from releasing the results on time.
Ojashwi, who had eagerly wanted to start Grade 9 with new energy and enthusiasm, felt disheartened by the principal’s response. After returning home, she recorded a video message and sent it to the principal, expressing her feelings. In the video, she said, “Today, my school is closed. Our teachers have told us to study from home. The closure is due to the general education strike called by the NTA. I am currently studying in Grade 8 at Damkada Secondary School, but I am speaking as a Grade 9 student, because the results of my Grade 8 exams have not been published due to the ongoing strike. That’s why I’m still technically a Grade 8 student.”
She further added, “The movement has escalated from memorandums and protests to the closure of community schools. The dream of students to study with excitement in a new classroom has already faded.”
Ojashwi expressed her frustration that the state’s policy errors or its failure to manage the education sector had forced teachers to take to the streets. She stated that the closure of schools at the start of the academic session presents a significant challenge for the education sector. “The students who study with me are confused. Parents are worried about their children's enrollment and education,” she said. “For this reason, I hope the government addresses our teachers' demands as soon as possible. How will we manage to eat from morning to evening? How will the teachers of primary classes manage to teach? What will the relieve temporary teachers, caught between the dilemma of going abroad or staying in their jobs, so that they teach in the classrooms?”
She stated that teachers must find a solution to address the ongoing educational loss and urged the state to send teachers back to the classrooms as soon as possible. Ojashwi, along with the 7 million students and parents waiting for enrollment in community schools, wishes to ensure that students' right to education is not denied and their dreams are not shattered.
Innovating online education
Srijana Shrestha from Kalimati, Kathmandu, shared her experience of going to enrol her child at Nilbarahi School in Kalimati, only to be told by teachers that they were not accepting enrollments due to the educational strike. “The teachers said they wouldn’t take enrollments because of the educational strike,” she said. “As a result, I enrolled my three children in a nearby private school, Janajyoti Secondary School. What can we do? If government schools are always on strike, our children won’t be able to study well. Their education will suffer.”
Community school teachers have been participating in a street protest led by the Nepal Teachers' Federation in Kathmandu for the past 14 days, which has affected enrollments. Private schools have benefited from this situation. Currently, 70 percent of students are enrolled in government schools, while 30 percent are enrolled in private schools. Since government school teachers have gone on strike during the enrollment period, private schools have taken advantage of this.
Mohan Sapkota, the principal of Damkada Secondary School in Tansen-9, Palpa, said, "The movement has added more challenges for teachers who care about the well-being of the school. In my ward, there are four schools—two private and two government. Damkada Secondary School is the only community school running up to Grade 12." He expressed concern, saying, "Nearby private schools are enrolling students in large numbers. Our school has not been able to enrol students due to the educational strike. I am worried that students might end up going to private schools. Therefore, both the government and teachers must work towards concluding the strike. Both should be sensitive towards the students." Sapkota, who is also the president of the Principals' Association of Palpa, added that the government's decision to call a parliamentary session on April 25 to address the teachers' demands is a positive step.
However, some community schools have enrolled students responsibly. But due to the teachers' movement, these schools have been enrolling students secretly. The teachers' movement has now taken on a political character. Education expert Bidyanath Koirala believes that teacher leaders are prolonging the protest, hoping to gain political party tickets in the future, as many teachers are affiliated with various party-linked organizations.
Koirala said, "The teachers' demands are related to financial matters, so the Ministry of Education alone cannot address them. Additionally, the state has failed to create an environment of trust." He added, "For this reason, teachers have continued their protest. Now, all parties must agree on policy matters."
Political parties have reported that 80,000 teachers are affiliated with the Nepali Congress, 70,000 with the CPN-UML, and 40,000 with the CPN (Maoist Center). Education expert Koirala stated that both teachers and the state must now prioritize the future of students. "The current movement focuses on teachers' professional security, but what about the quality of education and teaching and learning?" he questioned.
Laxmi Kishor Subedi, the president of the NTA leading the movement, announced that the protest would continue because the government had not addressed any demands except for calling the annual parliamentary session on April 25. "The government has not addressed even the demands that the Council of Ministers and the Ministry can handle," Suvedi said. "For this reason, the NTA has decided to boycott the Class 12 exams and will not participate in the enrollment campaign or the grading of SEE answer sheets."
Ramprasad Dhakal, the Deputy Secretary of the NTA, shared that teachers protested in 1985, demanding provisions for the provident fund, pub leave, sick leave, grants, and pension facilities. During the 104-day protest under the monarchy, 11 teachers became martyrs.
At that time, the government conducted the SLC (School Leaving Certificate) exams by mobilizing government employees, so the exams were unlikely to be affected. Moreover, schools have continued to secretly enrol students. This protest has sparked discussions among teachers, as it has taken on a political character.
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"We have drafted a framework for meaningful talks with the government based on the agreements made in 2075 BS, 2078 BS, and 2080 BS," said Deputy Secretary Dhakal. "We will continue the protest alongside the talks. In the past, during the 2042 BS teachers' movement, the government conducted the SLC exams by mobilizing employees."
He added, "Therefore, the government must conduct the Class 12 exams. We will not withdraw from the street protests until our demands are met."
He also stated that the leaders of 15 participating factions have agreed to engage in meaningful talks based on past agreements.
