CZOP urges school teachers to change form of protests, considering child rights

Kathmandu / April 23: The Children Zone of Peace ( CZOP)- National Campaign has urged agitating schools teachers and employees to change the form of the protest, bearing in mind the rights of children.

It has urged the agitating parties to the adverse impact of ongoing protests on key activities such as the school enrollment campaign, the grading of SEE answer sheets, and the schedule of the Grade 12 exams.

CZOP general secretary Tilottam Poudel expressed solidarity with the ‘genuine concerns’ of teachers, but called for a change in the form of protests to ensure that student-related schedules are not disrupted. He urged them to be more sensitive regarding the rights of children during this critical period.

At the call of the Confederation of Nepalese Teachers (CNT), teachers from across the country have been protesting in Kathmandu since April, demanding that the government pass the School Education Act as soon as possible. Despite both formal and informal discussions between the government and the protesting teachers, no conclusion has been reached yet.

Amid these protests, Bidya Bhattarai resigned from her position as Minister for Education, Science, and Technology on April 21. The ministerial post has remained vacant since her resignation, which was attributed to health reasons.