National 7 (Spotlight Weekly)

Teachers’ Turmoil

Teachers have launched their agitation demanding for security and stability of their profession

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

Calling for their security and relief from the episodes of violence and killings, around 150,000 teachers working at government-funded schools across this Himalayan Kingdom have stepped up their agitation threatening even to boycott the crucial annual high school examinations in April.

The four major teachers’ organizations have come together to launch the third phase of their agitation in Kathmandu city putting forth their seven-point demands. They have started to obstruct the regular educational activities.

The agitation of the four teachers’ organizations – Nepal Teachers’ Association (NTA), Nepal National Teachers’ Organization (NNTO), Nepal Teachers’ Forum (NTF) and Nepal Revolutionary Teachers’ Association (NRTA), which are also affiliated to various political parties – could derail the educational activities across the country.

Most importantly, the teachers’ decision to boycott the annual School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examinations could hurt the education sector most. “If the government does not fulfill our justified demands, we will be boycotting and extending no cooperation to the SLC examinations,” said Keshab Prasad Bhattarai, president of NTA. The SLC examinations are going to be held in April and around 300,000 students appear in it.

Teachers from government schools are appointed as superintendents and exam-guards whose role is crucial in holding the annual examination that is held by the government board.

According to Bhattarai, they have put forth demands like providing relief to the conflict-hit teachers; making the temporary teachers, whose number exceeds 25,000, permanent ones; improving the quality of education and so on.

Teachers’ associations say that around 160 teachers have been killed – both by the Maoists and the government forces – in the last eight years. The most prominent among the incidents where teachers were killed include the one that occurred two years ago in Lamjung district in western Nepal. Mukti Nath Adhikari, a principal at the local Panini Sanskrit school was stabbed and hung in front of students and villagers by the Maoists who opposed the teaching of Sanskrit. Another teacher Gyanendra Khadka, who was also a reporter, was hacked to death last August in Sindhupalchowk district by the Maoists.

Ganesh Chiluwal, the president of Maoist Victims Association (MVA), says that the number of teachers killed could be as high as 250.

Apart from physical action, teachers also regularly face extortion threats in the villages. Since schools are the only government agencies that are allowed to operate even with the Maoist heartlands, teachers become an easy prey. “We have reports that teachers in some parts of Bardiya district – in midwest Nepal – have to pay 60 percent of their annual salaries to the Maoists as donations. In other districts also, similar donations of around 25 to 45 percent is mandatory,” said Bhattarai. “Not only the rebels, even the government forces often target teachers and accuse them of sheltering and helping the rebels.”

Bhattarai said that at least 3000 teachers have been displaced due to the conflict. “In Kathmandu city alone, there are at least 200 teachers who are staying on deputation as they cannot go back to their villages,” said Chiluwal. Teachers from far-flung villages often congregate at the district headquarters because of insecurity in villages – disrupting regular teaching activities.

Om Bahadur Oli, a teacher from Dang who is also the president of Victimized Teachers Association, had more to say. “They (Maoists) have charged that I am an exploiter and a spy. I challenge them to prove this,” said Oli who has been forced to abandon his village since last couple of years. According to him despite the provisions in the peace code of conduct signed by the Maoists and the government (during ceasefire), his family had not been allowed to return to village even during ceasefire. “There are hundreds of teachers like me who are bearing the brunt of the conflict for no fault of theirs,” he said.

Frustrated at the non-improvement of this situation, the teachers’ organization had started the third phase of their stir on January 7 by picketing the Ministry of Education and Sports in Kathmandu. Hundreds of teachers were briefly detained that day by the police. As a part of their stir, the teachers have organized interaction programs and are engaged in mobilizing support from intellectuals and guardians.

Madhav Prasad Adhikari, president of NNTO, said that they will continue to agitate till their demands are met. “We will be compelled to organize even stronger protest programs in the days ahead,” he threatened.

“Till now, the government has only provided lip-service to our genuine demands. We will not continue to believe in their words from now onwards,” said Bhattarai.

The Ministry spokesperson Lava Prasad Tripathi acknowledged that some demands of the teachers are justified. “The government wants to resolve this impasse through dialogue,” he said. The Ministry has shot off a letter on January 14 inviting the teachers for a dialogue to be held next week. “They need not be skeptical. We are ready to listen to their genuine grievances and do whatever we can,” said Hari Bahadur Basnet, minister for Education and Sports. According to the ministry, there are more than 35,000 schools including 20,000 primary (grade 1-5) ones in the country.

Parents and students are keeping their fingers crossed that the problem will be resolve amicably. Coming in the close heels with student agitation, the teachers’ stir will further aggravate the already deteriorating situation. Because of various strikes organized by student organizations as well as the Maoists, schools were closed down for over 40 days out of total 180 academic class days in the year 2003. If the ongoing teachers’ agitation does not resolve soon, the year 2004 will also witness the repetition of the chaos in the classrooms in this impoverished Kingdom where adult literacy is only around 55 percent, according to government claims.