During the budget speech, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle tried to convey the enthusiasm that he had for a '21 percent net increase' in the salaries of those in government service - Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers and school employees (accountants and assistants) are the category that has not been touched. They are disappointed that they have been neglected while the government has been able to raise resources to increase the salaries of teachers working in the same school, considering it necessary.

 1.22 million 538 children are enrolled in ECD . The work of teaching, feeding and taking care of so many children is done by ECD teachers . The reason why this issue is noteworthy is that they are the employees working in schools with the lowest salaries. But amid the announcement that the salaries of those in government service will be from 40 thousand to over one lakh, it is not right for a large group that has been deprived of the minimum salary set by the government to be overlooked. It is natural for there to be a difference in the post and the corresponding salary. However, the government's discrimination against those working in specific posts is not right. The government should listen to the concerns of ECD teachers and school employees and assure them of proper remuneration.

According to the Ministry of Education, there are 42,619 Early Childhood Development Centers (ECD). Of these, 81 percent are ECDs in community schools and 19 percent are private schools . 1.22 million 538 children are enrolled in ECD . The work of teaching, feeding and taking care of so many children is done by ECD teachers . There are 45,000 ECD teachers across the country . On the other hand, 7,500 accounting staff and 27,000 assistants have been appointed . The total number of employees in these two categories is around 80,000 . However, there are no exact figures as the federal government, local levels and schools also appoint ECD teachers and school staff.

ECD teachers and school staff (accountants and assistants) are both integral parts of the school. ECD classes are important in improving the quality of school education. In recent years, the Ministry of Education has stated that the number of students enrolled in class 1 with ECD experience has reached 77 percent, meaning it is giving importance. In addition, if students get a proper environment in ECD, there is a greater chance of achieving learning achievements in the following years. For that, priority should be given to teacher management who understands child sensitivity. On the other hand, accounting staff are needed for good financial governance in schools. The government should consider the importance of those working in such positions. Although the importance of such positions is high, the government does not seem to want to take ownership of them. This has created obstacles in making the school environment enthusiastic.

It is not right for a large group that has been deprived of the minimum wage set by the government to be left behind amid the announcement that the salary of those in government service will be from 40,000 to over 100,000. Some issues are also noteworthy from the point of view of employment - continuity, reasonable remuneration, social security, dignified workplace, and the possibility of personality development. Due to the lack of certainty in such aspects, the exodus from the profession is increasing. Therefore, the government should announce incentive programs to retain the profession. However, when the salary of the tenth teacher working in the same school is increased, three others, including ECD teachers and school employees (accountants and assistants), were not increased. It is not fair for the government to increase the salaries of 180,000 teachers (there are also millions of employees in other sectors who will benefit from the increased salary), but to let go of 80,000 ECD teachers and school employees is not fair, but rather a bad intention. This cannot be justified by arguments such as lack of resources. The government should self-criticize its discriminatory work and include them in the group that will benefit from the increased salary.

There is another problem. The federal government has been providing a grant of Rs 12,000 to ECD teachers appointed by the union, Rs 15,000 to accounting staff, and Rs 10,000 to assistants. Some of them have also received additional remuneration from the municipality or school or both. But there is no guarantee of that. The number and remuneration of ECD teachers and school staff (accountants and assistants) appointed by the municipality or school are also not certain. Similarly, in theory, they are government employees. But the government is not willing to accept this. The mentality of considering them as only part-time employees is prevalent from the three levels of government to schools. This has brought about a strange situation. There is a tug-of-war between the federal government and the municipality over the right to school education, but the issue of ECD teachers and school staff is being sidelined.

The role of assistants in accounting and other management is significant in making pre-primary classes quality and maintaining financial discipline in schools. Therefore, many problems can be solved if the union and the provinces accept them as an integral part of the school. Their positions, salaries, service facilities, training, etc. can be managed. However, if the government feels that they are not needed in the school, it should be able to say clearly, otherwise, it should ensure fair remuneration. This issue is not the concern of the federal government alone.