KATHMANDU: Following a month-long agitation, protesting teachers have returned to their district/villages after reaching a 9-point agreement with the government.
As per the deal, the School Education Bill, 2080 is expected to be passed by late June or arly July). With teachers back in classrooms, the pressure is now on the government to endorse the bill during the current parliamentary session.
Tula Bahadur Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepal Teachers’ Federation, said he is confident that the agreement will address their demands.
Meanwhile, the subcommittee under the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee of the House of Representatives is preparing to submit the School Education Bill, 2080 after completing clause-wise discussions.
Talks were set for Wednesday afternoon with Education Minister Raghuji Pant to resolve a few remaining issues.
The meeting included Minister Pant, Committee Chair Amar Bahadur Thapa, and senior officials from the Ministry of Education. “The discussion is nearly complete. We held a meeting with the Education Minister on Wednesday,” subcommittee member Sarita Bhusal told Khabarhub.
Bhusal added that after resolving all outstanding matters both in principle and in practice, the bill will be presented to the full committee by May 16.
Initially, the subcommittee was given 35 days to finalize the bill, but due to time constraints, the deadline was extended by 10 days. The revised deadline ends tomorrow.
Minister Pant’s active engagement
Minister Pant has been under increasing pressure to finalize the bill. After succeeding former Education Minister Bidya Bhattarai, Pant is eager to leave his mark by passing this significant legislation.
Subcommittee members say Pant sees the bill as a political opportunity and is involved daily in informal and formal discussions. “He frequently checks on progress with coordinator Chhabilal Bishwakarma and is keen to get the bill to the House soon,” said a member.
Both Chairman Thapa and Minister Pant have repeatedly said the bill will be passed by June end, and the Minister’s Secretariat has confirmed that preparations are underway to present the bill in parliament before that deadline. “We are working toward a party-wide consensus,” said an official from the Secretariat.
What issues remain unresolved?
Currently, 10 MPs are reviewing the bill in the subcommittee. Coordinated by UML MP Chhabilal Bishwakarma, the subcommittee includes members from various parties, such as Sarita Bhusal (UML), Dik Bahadur Limbu and Mahendra Rai (Nepali Congress), Devendra Poudel and Rekha Sharma (Maoist Centre), Bina Jaiswal (RPP), Binita Singh (Janamat), and Ram Prakash Chaudhary (LSP).
While coordinator Bishwakarma says the discussions are almost complete, a few key issues still need resolution. A major point of contention is the future regulation of private schools, particularly the government’s proposal to convert them into trusts.
Private school operators have opposed the trust model, citing concerns over property rights and the transition from company status. Lawmakers, however, have proposed strong regulatory mechanisms and a new legal framework for school operations.
There are also disagreements regarding the remuneration and employment conditions of private school teachers, which the bill seeks to standardize.
“We’ve reached agreement on school fees, curriculum, and service terms for staff. But questions remain: Should schools be converted into trusts? If so, in how many years? What happens to their existing property?” said a subcommittee member.
The final resolution on these issues will likely come after high-level discussions between Chairman Thapa, Coordinator Bishwakarma, and political party leaders.
“We’re working carefully to prevent future conflicts,” said the member. “A political agreement is essential.”
Meanwhile, a consensus is yet to be reached regarding the status of temporary and contract teachers who have served for many years. While there is broad agreement on holding competitive exams, disagreement remains over how to treat those who have exceeded the age limit.
“There’s no clarity on whether to allow overage teachers a one-time chance to compete or to retire them with service benefits,” said a member of the subcommittee.
Similarly, there is still no consensus on how to manage the large number of child development teachers, estimated at around 30,000 to 40,000 across the country. The subcommittee has yet to decide on how to include them in the recruitment process.
“There are also concerns about teachers appointed through political party influence,” said the subcommittee member.
“There is debate over whether the state should be responsible for managing all of them, especially since the government’s financial capacity may not be sufficient. A political consensus is needed here too, and the coordinator has been entrusted with resolving the issue.”
Meanwhile, an agreement has been reached on several points, including the provision of monthly salaries for teachers, increased salaries and allowances for school staff, and salary hikes based on teacher rankings.
Provisions for transfer, promotion, and benefits structure have also been included in the draft bill. However, members note that unresolved concerns may be raised again once the bill reaches the full committee.
Additionally, the subcommittee has proposed abolishing all party-based teacher organizations, allowing only the Teachers’ Federation to continue. This proposal has received unanimous support from all subcommittee members.
Rastriya Swatantra Party MP and former Education Minister Sumana Shrestha had initially suggested disbanding the Teachers’ Federation as well, but the final agreement supports keeping the federation while eliminating party-based groups.
“The Teachers’ Federation will remain, but party-affiliated organizations will be disbanded,” a subcommittee member confirmed. “It has also been agreed that the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) will be conducted in grade 12, while grade 10 exams will be held under the jurisdiction of local governments, as is currently the case for grade 8.”
Comment