CNT decides to organize nationwide protest from mid-August

KATHMANDU: The Confederation of Nepali Teachers (CNT) has announced that it will resume nationwide protests from mid-August.

Speaking at a press conference in Kathmandu on Friday, CNT Chairperson Laxmi Kishor Subedi said the protests would focus on pressing the government to honor earlier commitments, including enacting the School Education Act, increasing investment in education and ending political interference in schools.

Subedi said the CNT would submit a memorandum to the Minister for Education and Sports outlining its demands before convening an extended Executive Committee meeting after mid-August. The meeting will finalize the protest programs, he added.

Stating that grievances of teachers and school employees are piling up, Subedi said the upcoming protest will be even bigger and more effective compared to the earlier protest. “The protests will gradually expand from the local and district levels to the provincial level before culminating in Kathmandu,” he added.

Subedi also alleged that the 10th Amendment to the Education Regulations has made the transfer process excessively complicated. He also called for proper arrangements for scholarships and school midday meal programs, as well as the provision of free electricity and internet services to schools. “Since community schools are legally prohibited from charging fees, the government should provide essential basic services required for their operation free of cost,” he added.

The CNT also accused the government of discrimination in the fiscal year 2026/27 budget by failing to provide salary hikes, incentive allowances and inflation adjustments to early childhood development teachers, school employees and teachers hired under learning grant programs.

It also urged the government to allocate 20% of the national budget to the education sector.