Ei-iE

Delegates at the Nepal National Teachers' Association (NNTA) have approved a formal declaration that will enable the EI-affiliated union to comprehensively advocate for teachers’ rights and freedoms, as well as to achieve quality education.

The NNTA’s Kathmandu Declaration was approved by its 509 council members who attended the 16th National Assembly, held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 15-16 July.

The Assembly opened with an address from NNTA President, Babauram Adhikari, who presented a financial report, an update on new guidelines to make the union more inclusive and democratic, as as well as a progress report on women’s issues within the Union.

He was followed by a key note address from the Honourable Bhanubhakta Jaisi, the Minister of Forests and Land Conservation, who expressed his deep concern over the fragile political situation in Nepal.

Describing this as “a major obstacle to apply the education policy teachers' unions recommend,” he challenged the teachers to help meet the changing global perspectives as educators and as trade unionists. He gave his support to the union members’ calls for a unified organisation of teachers that can effectively and collectively bargain for workers’ rights.

NNTA’s members from more than 70 districts within the Kingdom were involved in contributing to the policy which will be used to underpin the Union’s activities on 5 October, World Teachers’ Day.

Members will mark this event by lobbying the government to implement six key points from the Declaration, including:

• The implementation of a teachers’ code of conduct and ethics;
• Improvements to the teaching-learning environment within schools ;
• Enhancement of the spirit of trade unionism in workplaces;
• The offer of creative support in drafting the nation’s constitution;
• Implementation of policies to keep schools as peace zones, free from political intervention or violence, through the strong condemnation of such activities;
• Joint working as unions to end discrimination in terms and conditions, including allowances, and salaries.

NNTA General Secretary, Baburam Thapa, noted the challenges of strengthening unionism but highlighted the importance of making the organisation’s structure inclusive and democratic “so that it would pave a way to represent teachers from marginalised groups, ethnic community, Madhes, endangered castes and women.”