An unofficial strike by more than 24,000 part-time teachers closed school for 5.5 million students in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, a union official said Monday. The part-time teachers are "demanding permanent appointment", general secretary of the Teachers Association of Nepal Baburam Adhiakri told AFP. He said the 143,000-member union did not support the strike and wanted the part-time teachers to return to work.
Adhikari said the government and teachers' union agreed in July to increase teaching staff levels by 24,000 and make 50 percent of the slots permanent. Nepal has 23.4 million people and 25,000 public schools.
"The closure has affected school children from primary to high schools and the government's appeal to resume classes could not reach an agreement," an official of the Ministry of Education said.
"The government is sympathetic to the demands of the teachers and also assured them of favourable consideration of their demand if they resume classes first," Ministry of Education Secretary Lava Prasad Tripathy said.