Government and protesting teachers reach 9-point agreement

Kathmandu: The government and the protesting teachers have reached a 9-point agreement.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of Education in Singha Durbar, was between the government and the Nepal Teachers’ Federation on Wednesday.

The cabinet approved the agreement. Then, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Education Minister Raghuraj Pant held a press conference to make it public.

With the agreement reached, the teachers decided to withdraw their protest and resume academic activities starting Thursday.

The nine points of the agreement are as follows:

1. All teachers and staff will be provided with medical treatment facilities and concessions at the Civil Servants’ Hospital located in Kathmandu.
2. For temporary teachers (relief, temporary/contract, former lower secondary, learning grant, technical stream, special education, and Early Childhood Development facilitators), sick leave will be accumulated, and a lump-sum amount will be provided upon retirement.
3. The government of Nepal will make arrangements for Early Childhood Development (ECD) facilitators (ECD teachers) and school staff as specified.
4. Starting from the fiscal year 2082/83 (2025/26), primary level third class, primary second class, lower secondary third class, and secondary first class permanent teachers will receive grade levels and salaries equivalent to civil servants.
5. All permanent and temporary quota teachers will be entitled to remote area allowances per the prevailing laws.
6. Community school teachers and staff employed from private sources will be included in the contribution-based Social Security Fund through regulatory provisions.
7. Teachers will be included in the order of precedence of the Government of Nepal.
8. All teachers, security personnel, journalists, and staff injured during the movement led by the Nepal Teachers’ Federation will be provided with free treatment in government hospitals.
9. The salary and grade of lower secondary first-class teachers will be equal to that of secondary second-class teachers.

Nepali version of the news