Teacher protest affects enrollment drive in public schools

KATHMANDU: Palpa’s community schools are facing a complete disruption in their enrollment campaign due to an ongoing teachers’ protest centered in Kathmandu.

As teachers from the district leave for the capital to join the demonstrations, educational activities in local schools have come to a near standstill.

The delay in announcing annual exam results and the halt in admissions have raised concerns among parents about their children’s academic future.

“The annual exam results have not been officially published yet, and we’re uncertain when enrollment will begin. Meanwhile, private schools are actively enrolling students, which is making us anxious,” said Narayan Regmi, a concerned parent. “We don’t know when community schools will start the new session. It’s creating a lot of confusion.”

Most community school teachers in Palpa are reportedly participating in the protests in turns. The Palpa District Committee of the Nepal Teachers’ Federation recently issued a statement urging teachers to join the movement, supported by several other teacher organizations.

Due to the protest, even annual exam results have not been officially announced, confirmed Bikal Kafle, Education Officer of Rampur Municipality. “Although some parents and students have contacted teachers individually to know their results, most are still unaware. The protests have disrupted the result announcement and enrollment process,” he said.

According to Kafle, almost all community schools in Rampur have been shut down since Wednesday, and groups of teachers have been traveling to Kathmandu by bus over the past few days to join the protest.

With the enrollment campaign affected, Kafle predicts that the number of students in community schools will not increase this year compared to last. While some schools continued internal administrative and academic tasks until Tuesday, by Wednesday, most had closed entirely.

The protest has also disheartened many students and parents who had been shifting from private to community schools in recent years. “Many students who were preparing to enroll in community schools are now uncertain about their decisions,” Kafle added.

Parents are troubled over where to enroll their children. With schools shut, children have resorted to spending time at home watching TV, using mobile phones, or playing—rather than beginning their new academic session with excitement.