December 04, 2004

KATHMANDU: Indian school and college teachers working in Nepal have threatened to launch an agitation from mid-December this year to push for fulfillment of their demands including regularisation of service, United News Agency of India (UNI) reported Saturday.

According to the news report,  Bharatiya Shikshak Sangh (BSS), Nepal has set a December 15 deadline for fulfillment of demands regarding terms of service to be met by the Nepal government.

Failing this, the BSS has threatened to block Sunauli, a major transit point linking Nepal with Uttar Pradesh state of India, for an indefinite period from December 17.

The organisation has already handed over memoranda in this regard to the Education Ministry and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, the report said.

UNI quoted president of BSS, Balji Pandey, as saying that Indian teachers working in Nepal had ”far too long” suffered discrimination and neglect by both Nepal – which they are serving — and India – of which they are nationals.

The Sangh represents some 1,200 Indian teachers working in different educational institutions in Nepal.

The issue was taken up by both India and Nepal at various levels from time to time, reports say.

The Joint Communiqué issued at the end of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s visit to India in March 2002 had conveyed the Nepali assurance that a decision for the regularisation of the services of Indian school and college teachers employed in Nepal ”was under consideration”.

BSS officials, however, blame the Nepal government of failing to fulfill its promise.

The latest warning by BSS has come days after the government agreed to listen to the grievances of thousands of temporary teachers serving in the government-funded schools. Two of their representatives even sat for an indefinite hunger strike and their organisation called for closure of government-run schools around the country.

Officials at the Education Ministry could not  be reached for comments regarding the latest demands by the BSS.