Govt invites agitating school teachers for dialogue, again

KATHMANDU: The government has once again invited the agitating Confederation of Nepali Teachers (CIT) for dialogue.

Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Raghuji Pant, issued a statement on Friday, inviting the CIT for talks.

Pant assumed office at the education ministry on Thursday after his predecessor, Biya Bhattarai, stepped down, citing health reasons.

“I earnestly invite the National Committee of CNIT for talks on behalf of the Government of Nepal to continue dialogue and discussions with teachers, as in the past, and to collectively find solutions,” Pant said in the statement. “The ministry is always committed to creating an environment for passing the School Education Bill within the stipulated time and finding appropriate solutions to promote the rights and interests of teachers.”

The appeal for talks comes a day after the Supreme Court ordered all concerned to create an environment for school teachers to return to work within three days.

Teachers from across the country have been demonstrating in Kathmandu for the past three weeks, demanding, among others, the immediate enactment of the School Education Bill. The protest has already led to the postponement of the annual examination of Class 12 after teachers said they would boycott examination duties. Teachers have also said that they won’t evaluate the assessment of answer sheets of the School Education Examination (SEE).

This is the third time that the government has invited teachers for the talks. Although the ministry earlier invited the CNT for dialogue on April 4 and 10, teachers refused to sit in the talks, insisting that passage of the Bill is their only demand.