The government has once again blocked the passage of the school education bill saying that further discussions with teachers are needed. Education Minister Raghuji Pant has been asking the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee for time to negotiate and agree with the teachers since the first week of May.

Congress whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire is also supporting Minister Pant in this. In the committee meeting on Sunday, most MPs insisted that the bill should be passed as agreed in the sub-committee, but the process was stopped after Education Minister Pant and Congress whip Ghimire asked for more time.

Minister Pant has stopped the bill saying that the issue of teacher promotion should be discussed again with the federation. The MPs have objected to the demands of the teachers saying that the government has become indifferent. Earlier, on June 16, the bill was stopped from being passed by asking for an agreement with the federation on the issue of making temporary, relief and contract teachers permanent through internal competition.

The chairman of the committee, Ammar Bahadur Thapa, postponed the meeting on Sunday, giving the government another 5 days. Speaker Thapa accused the government of stalling the bill by asking for time since May 4. "The government is holding back from passing the teachers' bill. If they only ask for time, the government will withdraw the bill," he said. "The bill has not been stuck in the committee, it has been stopped by the government," he says. The sub-committee has proposed that teachers be periodically promoted in 10 to 12 years. The sub-committee chaired by UML MP Chavi Lal Vishwakarma agreed that 90 points should be scored in the performance evaluation for promotion. The officials of the teachers' federation have been lobbying from the education minister to the political leadership to remove or reduce the marks.

Last week, time was requested to seek agreement on the proposal of the sub-committee to make 60% internal and 40% open to permanent teachers including temporary, relief and contract teachers. Minister Pant mentioned that although the teachers' federation agreed on the issue of internal competition in Sunday's meeting, they were not satisfied with the issue of promotion. He asked for time again saying that he needed more time to agree on the promotion. Congress whip Ghimire also supported it. Thapa, chairman of the

committee, started the meeting with the agenda of passing the bill. After the education minister and Congress whip Ghimire asked for more time and asked to postpone the bill, there was an altercation between the MPs. Ghimire proposed that teacher promotion should be done as specified in the bill. He argued that teachers' federations should not be teased as they are major stakeholders. Ghimire also warned that since the issue of passing the bill is political, if there is no agreement, it will be passed even with the whip of the political party.

Maoist MP Rekha Sharma expressed her displeasure by saying that the government and the whip were controlling even the issues that had been agreed upon. "They are trying to reverse the agreed matters by using a dozer, calling a meeting to finalize the bill and proposing adjournment?" He left saying 'I will boycott the meeting'. Last week too, he insisted on adjourning the meeting saying that if the bill was passed by the majority, he would hold a dissenting vote. The majority of MPs have been insisting that the bill should be passed since last week. Pant and Ghimire have been insisting that the Prime Minister and the ruling party should agree on the demands and issues of the teachers.

An official of the Ministry of Education says that the federation's stance is that only 75 points should be maintained for teacher promotion. He says that Education Minister Pant is flexible to keep up to 80 marks. Even though teacher promotion is used as an excuse, the parliamentarians say that there is no agreement with the Federation of Teachers on whether to transfer teacher vacancies to the local level or to manage them according to the provisions of the constitution.

Congress MP Dig Bahadur Limbu demanded that the committee be clarified on the matter on which there was no agreement. "We have started to feel that the influence of the Federation of Teachers in the Bill has been increased, now the issue of promotion and performance has come," he says.

Education Minister Pant has proposed in the committee that instead of transfer of teacher posts to the local level, the word "management" should be kept based on the demand of the federation. Minister Pant argues that since the constitution has already transferred the teaching posts to the local level, it is appropriate to use the word management.

The Federation, which held a 29-day long protest in March/May, has been taking a roundabout stance of not being subordinate to the local level. According to an official of the ministry, the officials of the federation could not take this stand openly for fear of being accused of being anti-constitutional. The sub-committee has already agreed that the teacher posts will be transferred to the local level.

Teacher's federation president Laxmikishore Subedi, co-president Nanumaya Parajuli, general secretary Tula Bahadur Thapa and other officials are engaged in political 'lobbying' to pass their own bill. They are continuously meeting with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, ruling Congress Chairman Sher Bahadur Deuba, Opposition Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, political party leaders, whips, Education Ministers and committee MPs.

Due to their own pressure, the decision of the sub-committee to place the education development and coordination unit office in the district was overturned. MP Chabilal Bishwakarma pointed out that it is unfair to continue discussing the issues section by section after the stakeholders have agreed on their demands. "Government, parliamentarians, stakeholders should not take their stand," he said. "Teachers should be given service facilities, but they don't have to do whatever they are told," she says, "They should also be accountable to the concerned students." Influence and pressure are not enough. Fairness and accountability are also needed.'

She emphasized that the points should be set in the law and made transparent for promotion. She said that the system of non-transparency in promotion and only those with access should get benefits. Maoist MP Devendra Paudel complained that the Bill was stopped for another reason after showing one reason. "They are trying to stop the bill by deception, where the matter has gone, it has been left to get the message, the Speaker and the Minister of Education should make it clear," he said. He insists that the bill should be passed according to the agreement of the