The Teacher Federation's Kathmandu-centred demonstration continues; the protest has disrupted educational activities in schools; public school enrollment has been affected; Seven-point directive of the Government on the campaign; Grade 12 exams not postponed are the news that got priority in the media last week.

Kathmandu - Despite the Nepal Teachers Federation's (NTF) call to stop the student enrolment campaign, media reported that few school management committees, parents, and municipalities have launched enrolment campaign. The Bhubaneshwari Secondary School Management Committee (SMC), located in Sisaiya, Bedkot Municipality of Kanchanpur, has launched a student recruitment campaign. There was news that the SMC has issued a notice for examination for admission to Pokhariya Secondary School in Biratnagar Metropolitan City. There were news reports that the teachers' movement has affected the planning of programs for the new academic session, admissions, distribution of textbooks, and even the distribution of exam results. 

Gorkhapatra reported that the admission campaign for community schools in Chitwan has been halted due to the teachers' strike. There was news in Onlinekhabar News Portal that there is no admission program in any of the public schools in the district. According to another news report, the enrollment and education of 7 million students in about 28,000 public schools across the country has been affected due to the strike of teachers that began on 2 April. In the meantime, private schools are rapidly enrolling students.

Even teachers who are not coming to Kathmandu have boycotted the student recruitment drive after the NTF instructed them not to engage in any educational activities until their demands are met, there was the news. According to the news, some schools have issued public notices and announced that they have indefinitely postponed their student enrollment campaigns.

As the teachers' strike continues, the Education and Human Resource Development Center (EHRDC) has issued seven-point guidelines targeting the new academic session. In order to make the education sector more systematic, result-oriented, and reliable, the EHRDC has issued a Circular to all the Municipalities and district-based Education Development and Coordination Units, asking them to implement the decision, mentioned the news. The directive mentions topics such as student enrolment campaigns, free textbooks distribution, scholarships and fees, and early childhood education, according to the news report.

Devi Prasad Acharya wrote an article about the importance of student enrollment in the Gorkhapatra. The article mentions that the student recruitment campaign also plays an important role in bringing gender equality in society practically and emotionally. 

The government has set the slogan for this year as 'Ensuring participation of all children in school, access to quality education'.

Although the issue of quality is more important than admission to community schools, the admission campaign still gives education a festive mood. This time, it is more important because the ongoing teachers' strike has affected the enrollment process although some delay would make such a sea-of-difference. For the first few days, classes don’t take place in most schools for various reasons. If the government had postponed the enrolment campaign by a few days while the protest was on, the message of compromise towards the teachers would have been conveyed. It might still be possible to postpone it for a few days. Nowadays, those who want to enroll in public school are forced to consider the option of sending them to private schools.

This teachers' strike is an opportunity for organizations and individuals concerned with parental rights to demonstrate their activism and understanding. It is a challenge for municipalities to prove their capabilities to claim that they can manage school education. An agreement may be reached between the teachers and the government in a few days, but it is the responsibility of the municipalities to prevent unnecessary harm from the strike. If the government does not extend or postpone the enrolment period, the municipality can issue a notice stating the date on which admissions will be held and conduct enrolment campaign and register provisionally and regularize it after schools reopen. Municipal associations can instruct all the municipalities to adopt a concrete policy in this regard. Organizations that claim to be a nationwide mechanism like School Management Committee Federation can collaborate with them on this. Otherwise, there is a possibility that their claims will be redundant.

On the other hand, there are signs that social support for teachers may decrease due to the strike. This is not a good sign. The  forced appeasement of teacher leaders, based on historical nexus with political leaders, does not carry last long. Even if teachers do not speak out about private schools due to their vested interests and short-term gratification, there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the rise of private schools and the decline in the prestige of community school teachers. If the government does not issue a whip on the Education Bill, as was the case with the amendments for the Bill, it may be difficult for a Bill that only includes the demands of teachers to be passed by Parliament. They are better off making offers from their side what difference they will make in the country's school education if their demands are met. This could help end the impasse in favor of teachers. Else public support is likely to increase. Citizens have not stopped looking high at dedicated and active teachers with not only respect but also reverence.

There was the news that the checking answer sheets have been affected when the federation instructed not to check the answer sheets of the SEE. The National Examination Board (NEB) has stated that the Grade 12 exams have not been postponed. The NEB also states that there is no truth in the propaganda that has been spread to create confusion among students and parents, saying that the exams have been postponed, the news quoted. The Teachers' Federation has decided not to participate in the 12th grade exams until their demands are met, directing teachers, the news mentioned.

Premier Mr. KP Olihas pledged to pass the School Education Bill as soon as possible and has called teachers to end their agitation and return to school, focusing on the examination of SEE answer sheets, the new admission campaign, and the Grade 12 exams, there was the news.

A question raised in the news of Himalayan TV, asking why the issue of children of people's representatives and teachers should compulsory to enroll in public schools is not included in the demands of the teachers' movement. 

Ram Aryal wrote teachers are continuing their Kathmandu-centered protests but society is not positive towards teachers, in an article titled "Critical Society and Teacher Movement" in the Onlinekhabar. The article mentions that the teacher is portrayed as a 'master' doing easy job, always looking placement closer to home, using a lots of vacations, failing many students, not taking responsibility and work as cadres of political parties. The article mentions what society perceives the current teachers' movement is also a way to add facilities, insistence that their positions should be permanent without competition (for having withdrawn salary for so many years – ed.), to gain respect without working hard (i.e. producing result). 

There was the news that even though the government has called a session of both Houses of the Federal Parliament on 25th April, teachers are skeptical that the School Education Bill will be passed immediately.

Mr. Ammar Bahadur Thapa, Chairperson of the Parliament's Education, Health and Information Technology Committee (EHITC), said that the School Education Bill will not be presented in the House of Representatives in the first week of the new Session of Parliament, the news quoted. Stating that clause-wise discussions are currently underway in the Sub-committee of the Committee, Chairman Thapa said that the deadline for the subcommittee to submit its report is 2nd May 2025. As it will take another 20 days for the EHITC to finalize the report after the Subcommittee submit the report. So it is likely that the Bill will be presented to the Parliament only in the last week of May, quoted the news. 

Similarly, there was the news quoting Speaker Mr. Deva Raj Ghimire has also said that there will be a marginal possibility to address Education Bill during this Budget Session of the Parliament as the budget should be given priority.

Due to the prohibition in presenting policies and programs to the Assembly, the stagnation to take the reform action plan further, and the pressure exerted in the appointment of the Deans, he was compelled to choose among the options of resigning, fighting, or making a compromise, the Former Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Tribhuvan University Prof. Dr. Keshar Jung Baral wrote in an article on the Onlinekhabar.

There was report that the responsibility of the Rector of Tribhuvan University has been given to Prof. Dr. Dubi Nanda Dhakal, the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The report mentioned that Rector Prof. Dr. Khadga KC was given the responsibility of Acting VC following Dhakal was given the responsibility of the Acting Rector.

The Dean's Office of the TU Institute of Science and Technology has made the results public of 47 students immediately after the completion of the evaluation of the MSc CSIT fourth semester exams, there was the news. 

Only few candidates have passed the written examination for the posts of TU Assistant Professor. The results released by the TU Service Commission show that fewer candidates than required have passed. The news mentioned that fewer candidates under Agriculture and Animal Science, Forestry and the Institute of Science and Technology have passed the exam.

Prof. Dr. Krishna Kant Parajuli wrote that it is not good that there be questions about the credibility, impartiality, and transparency of the TU Service Commission, the gateway to university entry, in an article published in Gorkhapatra.

The Janak Education Materials Center (JEMC) will conduct a nationwide assessment on the availability of textbooks in schools across the country in the new academic session to make it more effective, there was the news.

The textbooks have reached to all the Municipalities, including in remote and mountainous districts of the country. The sale of school textbook was 7.6 million from 9 regional centers of JEMC and the needed stock is available, there was the news quoting the JEMC.

Karnali Province Government formed 7 members committee in coordination of Ms. Deepa Hamal, Director of Educational Directorate of the Province to study about running traditional and religious schools and students of those schools, the news published in the Gorakhpatra. 

Indian students' attraction has been raised in Chinese language testing exam of Lumbini Buddha University, published the news.

There was the news that Private Medical Colleges (PMC) have been influencing to the Prime Minister saying if PMC have to give allowance according to government scale to medical doctors studying in postgraduate (PG) level, the government should increase MBBS and BDS seats or allow increasing fees of MBBS and BDS to make it feasible. Government is prepared to increase the seats without concerning the quality, the Onlinekhabar reported.

Purpose of this news review is to classify and synthesize the educational content of the week and provide objective comments from the point of view of social justice and creative pedagogy including the environment. It is aimed to the policy makers and stakeholders to help make informed decisions. In this joint effort of the Center for Educational Policies and Practices (CEPP) and EduKhabar, material from daily newspapers - Kantipur, Gorkhapatra and The Himalayan Times, online news portals - Online Khabar, Setopati and Ratopati and the 8 o'clock news of Nepal Television and 7 o'clock news of Himalaya Television is summarized and presented with commentary on relevant issues. We have covered the contents from 12- 18 April 2025 in this issue - The Editor.

Read last week's analysis in Nepali : शिक्षक आन्दोलनमा, भर्ना अभियानमा अभिभावक !

Also watch the video (Nepali) with the commentary about the impact of the teacher strike on the enrollment campaign : शिक्षकको सडक प्रर्दशन र भर्ना अभियानका सन्दर्भमा भिडियो टिप्पणी

Read last week's content : Last week in education