The Kathmandu-centered teachers' movement, which began on March 20, has now reached the stage of an educational strike, pushing forward the main demands of teacher service facilities, stability, promotion, dignity, etc.

This movement was not made by the teachers with any unnatural, new and impossible demands. However, the government is saying that billions of financial obligations will be added to meet the demands of the teachers, and the state fund is not able to cover the expenses.

The government does not hesitate to bring ordinances overnight to fulfill the interests of power and to increase the service facilities to meet the luxurious needs of political positions. However, it is ignoring the legitimate demands of the teachers. The government does not seem ready to issue the Education Act by addressing the demands agreed upon in the past. This is the tendency shown by the government towards teachers.

Meanwhile, in order to make the movement more pressing and powerful, the Federation of Teachers has also called upon the remaining teachers to come to the movement stating that the teachers/staff will not participate in the student admission campaign, textbook distribution, SEE answer book testing and conducting the class 12 exam in the new academic session. Some schools have also issued notices that 'all programs, including pre-scheduled admission drives, have been suspended until further notice'. As a reaction to the

action, comments such as "Teachers forgot their duties, now government schools will dry up and private schools will become rich" have also started to be made. First of all, it is not the teachers but the previous government that is to blame for the creation of this situation of the movement. There is no facility for teachers to forget their duties.

Secondly, it is the wealthy parents who enroll their children in expensive schools. As the admission campaign and teaching of government schools will be postponed for some time, the financial status of the middle class parents will suddenly increase and they will not rush to enroll their children in private schools. The federation has already announced that the interrupted studies will be completed during the annual vacation.

What we understand is this - now the teachers have no choice but to protest and the government has no alternative way to meet the demands of the teachers.

— Indrakumar Shrestha , Wageshwari Mavi Chahmasingh, Bhaktapur