NTF announces indefinite strike

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Teachers’ Federation (NTF) has announced the launch of an indefinite educational strike starting Monday, demanding the implementation of the Education Act.

Federation Chair Laxmikishore Subedi stated that schools across the country will be closed, and all teachers and staff are required to participate in peaceful street protests in Kathmandu.

During the strike, the NTF has strongly urged teachers to refrain from engaging in activities such as evaluating exam answer sheets, publishing results, conducting training, workshops, seminars, or educational tours.

The federation has been protesting since Magh 20, with daily demonstrations taking place in Kathmandu, all centered around the demand for the implementation of the Education Act.

The ongoing protests have disrupted activities like the evaluation of Secondary Education Examination (SEE) answer sheets and other academic events in schools.

Despite repeated invitations from the Ministry of Education for dialogue, the Teachers’ Federation has declined to participate in talks.

The Ministry has expressed concerns about the delay in publishing SEE results due to the ongoing strike and uncertainty surrounding the timely collection of answer sheets.

The National Examination Board is planning to release the SEE results in the first week of Ashar (mid-June).

While the government remains open to discussions, Federation President Suvedi insists that an agreement was already reached back in Ashoj of the previous fiscal year, and they now seek only implementation, not further negotiations. “There is no need to waste time re-negotiating,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli expressed the government’s commitment to addressing the teachers’ concerns and urged a solution through dialogue.

However, the Federation has signaled its intention to continue the strike, citing a lack of trust in the government’s response.