Once again the teaching profession has been attacked in Nepal. Teachers have been attacked not by cutting salaries or benefits, but by words. In the last few months, there has been mild commentary on the teaching profession from the political level.

A recently published commentary compared the contribution and performance of teachers to other professions and questioned their role. This is the latest in a worrying trend. 

Although such words may seem careless, their impact is profound and long-lasting. These expressions not only denigrate the individual teacher, but also call into question the public education system as a whole and undermine an ideal profession whose strength lies in dedication to knowledge, commitment to values and call for social justice. Sensitivity of words is not just courtesy, it is an essential part of respect for the profession and public trust.

It is important to make it clear at the beginning that teachers working in all levels and all types of schools in Nepal are not doing less work. They are working differently and often doing more mentally and emotionally than many realize. There is a tendency to compare the teaching profession with the civil service. If the country's civil servants maintain the state apparatus, teachers ignite the nation's imagination. The classroom is not a 9-to-5 office, it has become a field of constant decision-making, deep dedication but never-ending sacrifice. 

teaching is not a routine job, it is a craft—one that requires presence, judgment, emotional regulation, and preparation. According to educational psychologist Philip W. Jackson's seminal study Life in Classrooms (1968), teachers make about four decisions per minute and about 1,500 decisions per day during classroom time. These decisions range from the choice of teaching methods to classroom management, conflict resolution, to subtle emotional adjustments based on student feedback. This constant, high-stakes decision-making process puts teachers in a state of 'decision fatigue', as psychologists call it, leading to mental exhaustion. In the case of having to make many decisions quickly in a short period of time, mental stress is created, which cannot be said to cause other problems. 

But the cognitive load of teaching is only one dimension. Teachers also spend hours outside the classroom preparing lessons, checking homework, communicating with parents, participating in training and handling school-level administrative tasks. In Nepal, they are also regularly assigned non-teaching tasks, such as acting as polling officers during elections, assisting with census surveys, or mobilizing communities for health or education campaigns. A

teacher's workload extends into evenings and weekends, and unlike in an office environment, this burden does not diminish with age and experience. The emotional and intellectual demands of the job on the teacher are always the same.

Today, teachers in many parts of Nepal are facing a complex and contradictory reality. Student enrollment is declining rapidly in rural and remote areas due to low birth rates, increasing internal mobility and widespread external migration. Families move to cities or abroad in search of better opportunities. Enrollment in many rural schools has now declined sharply, raising concerns among teachers about school closures, forced relocations and reduced community support. Without understanding this reality, teachers are often unfairly blamed for tendencies beyond their control. 

Meanwhile, teachers in urban areas and some districts of the Terai face the opposite challenge, with overcrowded classrooms that often have 50 or more students. They often work in under-resourced schools, where student learning levels and needs vary widely. Along with teaching tasks, teachers have to handle increasing challenges related to student discipline and mental health. These issues have become an important factor of stress for teachers worldwide. 

The 2022 OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey found that more than 60 percent of teachers in participating countries experience high levels of job-related stress. This stress was often linked to classroom management and emotional labor. In the UK, the Teacher Wellbeing Index 2021, published by Education Support, found that 77 per cent of teachers said their mental health had deteriorated due to workload, lack of support and constant monitoring. A national survey in Canada shows that a significant proportion of teachers report mental fatigue or burnout, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.

In Nepal, students struggling with poverty, family difficulties, trauma or social exclusion often experience emotional and practical difficulties. Teachers are expected to manage these challenges without counselors, mental health services, and often without basic classroom support. They do their best – often alone – to ensure that no child is left behind. While some teachers are grappling with empty classrooms in shrinking villages, others are exhausted by overcrowding, student suffering and discipline issues.

Behind the progress of every student lies the invisible labor of the teacher. This is what researchers call 'emotional labour'. It is a process in which a person manages his own emotions and responds compassionately to the emotions of others. Public school teachers worry about students who are bullied, come to school hungry, or suffer from family separation or trauma. Pasi Sahlberg, a leading Finnish education expert, has written extensively about how countries like Finland prioritize teacher well-being for educational quality (Finnish Lessons, 2.0, 2015). Finnish teachers, unlike many of their counterparts worldwide, are given autonomy, small classrooms and access to mental health services. These measures help them to reduce stress and stay in the profession.

In Nepal, teachers are expected to care for others, but teachers are rarely cared for. This emotional exhaustion, which cannot be seen or measured, weakens the teacher, whom the society entrusts with the responsibility of building the foundation of the future. 

words matter. When politicians say that teachers are 'not doing enough', they are not only spreading a misleading myth – they are also damaging the professional dignity of teachers. Such rhetoric undermines public confidence, discourages teachers, and discourages bright, motivated people from entering the profession.

is not a new thing and it is not limited to Nepal. Teachers around the world are blamed for student failure, dropping test scores and systemic problems they didn't create. In the United States, Britain, and Australia, the media and political leaders frequently attack teachers, portraying them as the root cause of educational decline. But just because the world does it doesn't mean it's right. Nepal need not follow harmful global trends. 

Nepal needs to fundamentally restructure how it understands, values and supports teachers. First, it must be publicly acknowledged by political leaders, education authorities and civil society that teaching is one of the most intellectually and emotionally demanding professions. This recognition must be accompanied by real policy and systemic change. All teachers, including those working in private and public schools, should receive the same services and facilities as other professions. 

There should be real investment in the mental health and well-being of teachers, including counseling services, peer mentoring systems and programs to help them balance emotional labor with their own self-care. Administrative burdens should be reduced and professional development should be responsive, timely and directly linked to classroom realities. Teachers must be protected from unsafe, contractual, and arbitrary decisions—especially in the context of an evolving federal system of governance—where clear standards are still lacking in many areas.

Nepal not only celebrates International Teacher's Day on October 5 every year, our own Gurupurnima also provides a suitable opportunity to honor teachers and increase the importance of the teaching profession. It is a tradition, which gives the teacher an opportunity to be recognized as a guide, nurturer and knowledge bearer and should become an integral part of social life. Many countries in Asia and beyond respect their teachers as national pride. We also need to learn it honestly.