KATHMANDU: The government has failed to live up to its commitment of passing the School Education Bill through the House of Representatives by June 29.
The government had earlier signed an agreement with the Confederation of Nepali Teachers (CNT) to ensure the bill’s passage by June 29, following pressure and protests from teachers across the country.
Of the two most contentious legislative proposals in recent months—the School Education Bill and the Federal Civil Service Bill, only the latter has been prioritized and passed.
The House of Representatives passed the Federal Civil Service Bill, 2024, on Sunday. In contrast, the School Education Bill, which is crucial for education reform and for protecting the rights of teachers, was not given the same urgency. While the government expedited the Civil Service Bill, it failed to show a similar commitment to the School Education Bill.
During talks with representatives of teachers, Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Raghuji Panta, had repeatedly promised that the Bill would be passed by June 29. His predecessor at the ministry, Bidya Bhattarai, had resigned amid rising pressure over the same issue. However, Panta has also failed to deliver on his commitment.
Following a six-hour negotiation with the CNT in Kathmandu on April 30, the government made a written commitment to pass the bill by June 29. Based on this promise, the CNT suspended its 89-day Kathmandu-centric protest.
Now, with the government failing to table the Bill in parliament by the agreed date, teacher representatives say they feel betrayed.
Nanumaya Parajuli, vice chairperson of the CNT, criticized the government’s dual character. “The government made a promise to pass the School Education Bill by June 29. It didn’t happen,” Parajuli said. “We are still in the protest, though the modality has changed.”
With the written commitment broken, teachers are skeptical that the bill would be introduced any time soon.
CNT Chairperson Laxmi Kishor Subedi said he no longer trusts the government’s word. “Since the government had made a promsie by setting a date, I was optimistic of the passage of the Bill,” he said. “Now, my belief has been shaken.”
Representatives of the CNT had reached Singha Durbar at 7:30 am on Sunday to seek updates on the Bill. They met with Minister Panta, the parliamentary committee chair and other members to inquire about the Bill’s progress.
“We thought the bill would be tabled in Parliament on Sunday,” Parajuli said. “But didn’t happen. We are still hopeful it will happen tomorrow. If not, we will have no choice but to resume our protests.”
Teachers say they had called off their protest in good faith, trusting the government’s word. But that trust, they now argue, has been broken. According to the CNT, this breach of promise raises serious questions not just about the government’s accountability toward teachers, but toward the broader education sector and the public at large.
Sarita Bhusal, a member of the Committee on Education, Health and Information Technology of the House of Representatives, insisted they have not betrayed teachers. Bhusal said most of the issues have been resolved and that the Bill would be tabled in the next meeting of the House of Representatives. “Minister Pant and the committee chair will respond to lawmakers’ questions in Monday’s meeting. After that, we will finalize the Bill,” Bhusal said. “It will be tabled in the next meeting of the House of Representatives.”
The next meeting of the House of Representatives has been scheduled for next Monday.
