Teachers to start protest early due to royalist rally

KATHMANDU: The ongoing teachers’ protest in Kathmandu has shifted its daily schedule to accommodate a planned royalist demonstration led by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).

The Nepal Teachers’ Federation, which has been staging a peaceful sit-in at Maitighar-Baneshwor for the past 18 days, announced that on Sunday (the 19th day of their protest), their demonstrations would run from 9 am to 12 pm, vacating the streets thereafter for the RPP’s rally demanding the restoration of monarchy and Hindu Rashtra.

Previously occupying the streets from noon onwards, the teachers’ movement has made way for the RPP, which plans to break into restricted protest zones in Kathmandu. The shift in schedule reflects rising tensions and overlapping demands from multiple mass movements.

Laxmi Kishore Ghimire, president of the Nepal Teachers’ Federation and key protest leader, acknowledged the decision, stating, “Considering the suggestions of friends, the protest time has been changed from 9 am to 12 pm from today. Friends, please arrive at Maitighar Mandala at exactly 9 am.”

Despite meetings with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Speaker Devraj Ghimire, the teachers remain firm on their demands — primarily urging the government to immediately pass a teacher- and student-friendly School Education Act, while also fulfilling earlier commitments made by the state.

“Our movement has been peaceful, dignified, and strong. We urge all to maintain restraint, dignity, and discipline as we continue.”

While participation in the teachers’ protest has been growing, especially from educators nationwide, the leadership’s decision to accommodate the royalist protest marks a moment of strategic compromise.

The Teachers’ Federation continues to call for the closure of institutional schools and the suspension of all academic activities — including the Class 12 exams — during the protest period, urging all stakeholders to support their cause.

As political and educational demands converge on Kathmandu’s streets, the government faces mounting pressure to address diverse and intensifying calls for systemic change.