Bimal Khatiwada

The Nepal Institutional School Teacher’s Union (Istu), an umbrella body of teachers working in private and institutional schools, staged a demonstration in front of the District Education Office (DEO) on Wednesday, the day of the two-day school closure they had called in the district ended.

They forwarded a 17-point charter of demands to the DEO, demanding a hike in salary on a par with that of government school teachers, appointment letters and insurance facilities, among other things. “This was a compulsion. We had to close the schools as a symbolic protest for a day,” said Sukra Raj Adhikari, a central committee member of Nepal Istu. He also threatened to shut schools for an indefinite period if their demands are ignored.

Istu teachers accused the Private and Boarding Schools Organisation of Nepal (Pabson) of not showing any concern to their demands so far.

District Chairperson of Pabson, Bel Bahadur Gurung, said it did not suit the teachers, supposed to be responsible persons, to act in such a fashion. The school closure affected more than 70,000 students of 160 educational institutions.

District Education Officer Ramakanta Sharma said the initiative will be taken to address the demands of the teachers, while in case of a stalemate, the schools will be opened at the initiation of the DEO.

Published on: 5 September 2013 | The Kathmandu Post