Temporary teachers are planning to stage a relay hunger strike in Kathmandu to exert pressure on the government to address their demands. 

Dinesh Thapa, general secretary of the Temporary Teachers Struggle Committee, said that the relay hunger strike aims to exert pressure on the government to implement agreements reached in the past. 

He said, “We were scheduled to stage a sit-in at Shantibatika from today and to do that, we need a go-ahead from the chief district officer of Kathmandu. As he was not present in his office, we had to postpone our programme.” 

Thapa said they will start the hunger strike as soon as they get approval from the chief district officer. 

He pointed that the government has not bothered to honour an agreement to make temporary teachers permanent through internal competition. 

According to Thapa, temporary teachers had signed a six-point agreement with the Ministry of Education in November, 2006 on making all temporary teachers permanent through internal competition. 

Undermining this agreement, the Teachers Service Commission recently conducted a written exam for hiring new teachers through free competition. The results of the exam will be announced after November 19 Constituent Assembly polls. 

Thapa said, “The Supreme Court had issued a verdict directing government authorities to provide facilities to temporary teachers on a par with permanent teachers. The verdict remains unimplemented.” 

The struggle committee general secretary further said the government is introducing an education regulation, which is not friendly towards temporary teachers. 

We want the government to make the regulation temporary teacher-friendly by addressing temporary teachers’ concerns, Thapa said. The temporary teachers have long been staging a protest against the government to make the latter address their six-point charter of demands. 

The teachers’ struggle committee has sought internal competition between temporary and contract teachers for appointment in permanent positions. Other demands include the formation of a constitutional Teachers’ Service Commission, uniform allowances to all teachers and an immediate halt to teachers’ appointment on contract.

Published on: 29 October 2013 | The Himalayan Times