EDUCATION NEWS IN NEPAL
The Ministry of Education has revealed that an extra budget of more than Rs 35 billion will be necessary to meet the terms of the agreement with the Teachers’ Federation. The ministry conducted an evaluation indicating that if the School Education Bill is amended and passed by the federal parliament as per the agreement, this additional funding will be needed.
Ghanshyam Aryal, under-secretary at the Ministry of Education, explained that currently, there are 153,530 teachers across the country, and the ministry allocates Rs 94.77 billion annually for their salaries. He mentioned, “If the bill in parliament becomes law, it will increase the financial responsibility of the government. The Ministry is carefully calculating these expenses.”
According to the agreement with teachers, around Rs 16 billion is required to maintain the current teacher positions and create a reserve fund. Presently, there are 101,800 primary level teachers, with 80,000 having approved positions and 21,800 working on a relief quota. Their current salary is Rs 32,902.
Additionally, there are 25,836 lower secondary level teachers with 16,222 in approved positions and 9,612 on relief quotas, earning Rs 34,730. Secondary level teachers, numbering 19,637, receive a salary of Rs 43,689.
Secretary Aryal also noted that there are 2,000 teachers at the higher secondary school level with approved positions and an additional 4,000 on the relief quota.
The agreement ensures that 27,890 school assistants continue to have their approved positions, and 30,488 child development center facilitators will receive salaries and benefits. It also covers the management of 7,178 schools and around 500 teachers affected by the people’s movements.
Hari Prasad Lamsal, joint secretary of the Ministry of Education, highlighted that the exact funding requirements will be determined once the School Education Bill is finalized in parliament. He stated, “The Ministry is diligently working to fulfill its commitments to the teachers in the agreement.” Read more: here
