NPU team meets Koirala

Biratnagar, June 3 (RSS): A delegation of the Nepal Press Union (npu), Morang met Nepali Congress president and prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at his residence today and apprised him of various problems.

The delegation led by npu Morang district president Hemraj Regmi demanded that mofussil journalists should be included in foreign trips, arrangement made for scholarships for higher level training in foreign countries, arrangement made for free medical treatment for working journalists and the bill on right to information should be passed without delay.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister gave assurances that he will try to fulfil demands after studying them.

Resolve problems through dialogue, says Deuba

Kusma (Parbat), June 3 (RSS): Former prime minister and central member of the Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba has said as killings, violence and terror can benefit no one, he is making efforts to resolve the problem through dialogue.

Addressing a mass meeting organised by the Nepali Congress at Uram VDC in Parbat district today, ex -prime minister Deuba said he is engaged in building public opinion nationwide for the resolution of the Maoist problem.

Mr Deuba said as every political party, human rights activists and the Nepali people at large are against violence and terror, the Maoists too should be prepared for talks by shunning violence and terror.

Mr Deuba said as poverty and unemployment are the main problems of the nation, Nepali Congress is committed to resolve the national problems through agricultural revolution and development of the water resources.

A certain portion of the benefit generated from big projects like the Kali Gandaki Hydel Projects should be available to the local people, he said, adding that he is ready to resolve the problems including the building of the Huwas-Waling road and development infrastructure in the region.

Ex prime minister Deuba also inaugurated the Uram VDC building today.

At the function presided over by Uram VDC chairman Ananda Bhusal, various other speakers including mPs Dilli Raj Sharma and Arjun Prasad Joshi, Dr. Yagya Adhikari, ex president of nsu Gyanendra Karki, Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, Huwas VDC chairman Ek Narayan Bhusal, Purna Chandra Bhusal, Giriraj Gautam, Khagendra Prasad Tiwari and Tilak Shrestha also shed light on the problems of the area.

Similarly former prime minister and nc central member Sher Bahadur Deuba, inaugurating the 10th anniversary and parent’s day function of Martyrs Memorial Lower Secondary School here today, said the standard of education sector has to be good and fruitful for the economic development of the country.

Mr Deuba also pointed out the need to make timely reforms in the education policy and give priority to technical and vocation education.

Stating that desired results had not been achieved in the education sector despite the huge investments being made in this sector, Mr Deuba said that the teachers of the public and private schools should work to produce manpower necessary for the country by freeing the schools from politics.

The private schools should attention to social rather than economic benefits, he added.

MPs Dilliraj Sharma and Arjun Joshi, ex-president of Nepal Student’s Union Gyanendra Karki and other speakers also expressed their views.

School principal Nawaraj Gurung shed light on the education activities of the school.

On the occasion Mr Deuba also gave away prizes and certificates to students and teachers of the school.

School management committee chairman Narayan Prasad Gurung presided.

Gupta seeks consensus for development

Bhadrapur, June 3 (RSS): Minister for Information and Communications Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta has said the present government is serious about resolving the main problems of the people.

Speaking at a programme organized by the Nepal Press Union, Jhapa here today, Mr Gupta remarked that His Majesty’s Government is moving ahead for social, political and economic development of the country.

Stressing the need of all-party consensus for all-round development, the minister noted that the government has adopted a clear-cut policy to root out corruption, give the people a feeling of good governance and maintain law and order in the country.

His Majesty’s Government is prepared for the development of the Fourth Estate, but it will not spare anyone who are involved in wrong-doings, he added.

Various other speakers also expressed their views at the function chaired by president of the Nepal Press Union, Jhapa Lokraj Dhakal.

Meanwhile, in Kakarbhitta, Minister for Information and Communications Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta acquired information about the party’s activities and problems of the local people from the party workers here today.

On the occasion, nc general convention representative Sharad Shivakoti and others demanded distribution of telephone lines immediately.

Minister Gupta gave assurances that telephone lines will be distributed as early as possible.

MPs assail govt over current issues

Kathmandu, June 3 (RSS): mps of different political parties at the meeting of the House of Representatives today drew the attention of His Majesty’s Government to current developments in the country.

Iswar Pokharel of CPN-UML demanded that replies should be furnished as to why the Deputy Prime Minister said objectionable things concerning the formation of the human right commission in such a manner as to heap blame on the opposition party.

Buddhiman Tamang of rpp demanded clarifications over the contradictory provisions under the present budget for imposing a 5 per cent surcharge for the promotion of the agricultural sector and the levying of a 10 percent customs duty on agricultural inputs as proposed in a finance bill.

Gorakha Bahadur Bogati of CPN-UML demanded that the government compensate farmers for the loss of oat and millet crops and fruit trees in Dandaphaya VDC of Humla during recent hailstorms.

Homnath dahal of Nepali Congress said the public statement made by the newly appointed Human Rights Commission chairman was objectionable and the appointment of such a person who was loyal to panchyat polity has tarnished the image of the democratic system. He asked for clarifications.

Om Prasad Ojha said that the government had not taken any initiative to inquire into news of the death of Gyan Kumar Rai who had been working in Saudi Arabia and objected that the government has snatched away the livelihood of local people by restricting tourist trekking in the Olangchungola and Pakhung region.

Ram Hari Dhungel of Nepali Congress demand an investigation into the murder of Yuvraj Karki of Ramechhap who had been working in Kathmandu.

Nar Bahadur Hamal of CPN-UML demanded that the government provide compensation to the victims of the hailstorm that took place in Dailekh last month and destroyed various crops and blew away school roofs.

Kamal Prakash Sunuwar of CPN-UML lamented that Radio Nepal aired wrong news about the removal of the police post at Ramechhap and demanded a probe into the murder of a worker at New Plaza Putlisadak who hailed from Ramechhap.

Ram Prasad Chaudhari of Nepali Congress demanded a probe into the attack on Darmanath Yadav of Nepal Electricity Authority while he was on his way home from night duty and action against the guilty.

Bijaya subba of CPN-UML said that the government should be serious about the objectionable remarks of the Human Rights Commission chairman and drew the attention of the government to the shifting of the Nepal Bank Branch from Tterhathum Atharai to the district headquarters causing difficulties to the people of the VDC.

Ananda Prasad Dhungana of Nepali Congress demanded that the government furnish details as to why a tata sumo car which was taken away by some criminals after killing its driver at Dhading Benighat and was later found at the house of an ex-minister was brought here.

Dan Bahadur Chaudhari of CPN-UML said that the government should pay heed to deforestation carried out at Kapilvastu Parwa on the part of some rich persons in the name of landless settlers.

Til Kumar Meyonbo of CPN-UML drew the attention of the government to the problems of transportation in the hilly areas such as taplejung and Panchthar which have arisen from a halt to truck services at the call of Mechi Truck Entrepreneurs.

Khem Raj Bhatta of Nepali Congress said that a person associated with a prestigious post such as the Human Rights Commission chairman should be removed for arguing for Panchayat polity.

Narayan Man Bijukchhe asked why questions were not raised about high ranking bureaucrats of the previous pachayat system and about action against them and observed that questions should also be raised about all those persons as well and not just about the Human Rights Commission chairman.

Replying to a question put forth by mp Buddhiman Tamang, Minister for Finance Mahesh Acharya made it clear that custom duty would not be levied on primary agricultural inputs imported from tibet and India but inputs imported from elsewhere would be subjected to customs duty.

Private teachers complain of exploitation

BY DAMBAR JUNG DANGI

Kathmandu, June 3: Teachers working in private schools have complained that they are being exploited and deprived of the minimum facilities, which they ought to be getting for their services.

The remuneration paid to majority of the teachers working in private and boarding schools is lower than that of peons working in government services.

Long hours of back aching job, deprivation of leave and absence of job security have become an usual phenomenon for the teachers who are reluctant to speak out for their rights in the fear of losing their jobs.

"The regulation has it that the private schools must recruit teachers with the required level of qualification and must also guarantee their jobs along with the facilities they are entitled to get," Chumansingh Basnet, Spokesman at the Ministry of Education said.

"Contrary to the terms and conditions set by the regulation, we are not given appointment letters and are made to sign a pay bill of 5,000 rupees though we receive only 2,000 rupees," said teachers working in boarding schools on condition of anonymity.

The teachers have been forced to tolerate the injustice out of the apprehension that they could be fired if they filed a complaint at the Ministry of Education or the professional organisations.

It is estimated that there are around sixty thousand teachers working in eighteen thousand private schools all over the country.

"Though some of the private schools have been giving remuneration better than that given by public schools, majority of the schools have been exploiting the teachers, " the victimised teachers said.

The irony is such that the teachers of the private schools have not even been able to acquire the membership of the professional organisations established to guarantee their rights.

The Nepal Teachers’ Association and the National Teachers’ Organisation have stated that the teachers working in both the public and private schools are eligible to acquire memberships.

President of the Nepal Teachers’ Association Keshab Bhattarai said that the teachers working in private schools were under constant pressure from their Board of Directors and Principals not to acquire the membership of the professional institutions.

"Only limited number of teachers working in the private schools have sought the membership of our organisation and the problems they face are not known to us until the moment they leave the job," President of the Nepal National Teachers’ Organisation Madav Prasad Adhikari said.

Adhikari said though the private schools have educated communities freedom of speech is nowhere to be seen in these schools because of the stringent regulations.

President of the Private and Boarding Schools (PABSON), Geeta Rana conceded that the teachers working in private schools were not being given the genuine reward for their services.

"The teachers themselves are responsible for being exploited," she said.

She said that the concerning school and the teacher employed had to abide by the terms and conditions set forth at the time of recruitment.

It is learnt that following the announcement of the government to hike the salary of the teachers working in public schools, the private schools have been preparing to increase the fees of the students. The private schools however increased the fees by 20 to 50 per cent in the beginning of the ongoing academic year.

Rana said that the private schools were not compelled to hike the salary of the teachers. She said that the pay hike of the teachers would depend on the degree of inflation to be invited by the recent raise given to the civil servants and the teachers working in public schools.

"There are a lot of schools and the enrolment is very low, in this situation how can the private schools increase the salary," Rana questioned.

She said that the government policy had shortcomings in the line of protecting the rights of the teachers.

Rana alleged that the District Education Office had been giving permission to open up schools even to those who did not have the basic infrastructure required for the school.

While the guardians are suffering because the fees are increased owing to the rise in the inflation rate, the teachers are having to work without getting the minimum wage, Kuber Bhandari, a guardian lamented.

Bhandari said that the guardians were forced to pay whatever fees the private schools demanded. This is so because the Ministry of Education and the District Education Offices have not established a control mechanism to check if the fees being charged are worth reckoning.

President of the Nepal Teachers’ Association Keshab Bhattarai is of the view that there must be harmony in the facilities given for a specific service.

Spokesman Basnet stressed that the teachers working in private schools must also be given minimum facilities.

He said that the District Education Office must monitor the sources of income of the private schools and their total overhead costs whenever any private school wants to raise the fees.

Chairman of the Nepal National Teachers’ Organisation Madhav Prasad Adhikari maintained that the institution for academic administration had been irresponsible and the administration in schools was not being run in accordance with the prescribed regulations.

Accepting that the regulations for efficient management of private schools had not been put into true practice spokesman at the Ministry of Education Chumansingh Basnet said a task force was at work in the Ministry to improve the management of private schools.

He said that amendments in the Education Regulation would be made based on the recommendations forwarded by the task force.

"The idea behind inspiring the private sector to open schools does not imply that they have the rights to do whatever they feel like, the Ministry will work towards the efficient management of the schools by ensuring that their autonomy is not affected," Basnet said.

He said that the private schools would be categorised on the basis of their earnings. The Ministry is planning to invest the revenue collected from the profit making private schools in the schools situated in the remote parts of the country.

Basnet said that the job of efficient management of the private schools would only be possible through the concerted efforts of the teachers, guardians and the Board of Directors.

Govt must have clear tourism plan: HAN

Kathmandu, June. 3 (RSS): Nepal Hotel Association (HAN) says that the budget for the new fiscal year is far from satisfactory for the tourism sector.

The association says that though the budget has accepted that tourism has generated rs 12.17 billion in revenue in the year 2055-056, which comes to around 33 percent of total revenue, the government has not come up with any tangible plans and programs for the enhancement of the tourism sector. The government should come up with programs to harness the potentialities of this sector, it adds.

The government did not heed suggestions jointly forwarded to the revenue consultative committee by tourism associations, it is pointed out.

Despite repeated requests and suggestions to the government and government assurances in this respect, HMG has failed to incorporate suggestions for the enhancement of tourism in Nepal such as identification of a second international airport site, bringing electricity tariff to par with the industry rate enjoyed by other industries, 90 days for VAT submission, income tax exemption for foreign currency earnings and consolidation of RNAC.

Pointing out that the government has shown its firm commitment to poverty alleviation through enlarging the opportunities of employment and wider mobilization of various economic activities in the country, it says tourism is one of the largest industries which at present directly and indirectly provides employment to round about 4.5 million people in the country and generates economic activity towards enhancement of the economy.

It is a pity that the present budget does not set out a single program for the development of tourism, it further says and appeals to His Majesty’s Government to reconsider this very important aspect and come up with a special program towards the development of tourism.

While the saarc countries have awarded export status to the tourism business and also given various facilities to hoteliers, the present budget, which did not incorporate any similar provisions, has not been able to inspire tourism entrepreneurs, it is pointed out.