Although gradually improving, Nepal’s educational infrastructure has been heavily disregarded for years, with early childhood enrollment rates dwindling to 51%, inequitable wealth gaps in schools, and educator shortages—especially in rural regions. This has left the area with a less-than-adequate focus on education, highlighted by the School Education Bill proposed 54 years before the surge of advocacy today. The bill fell short of meeting student and teacher needs, disregarding educators’ labor rights. The backlash following the initial passage of the School Education Bill incited a discussion between the government and protesting teachers, resulting in a six-point agreement.
The Six-Point Agreement represented a consensus that both parties came to in order to preserve the future of education. It brought to light demands for labor and education reform, including educator job security, fair wages, government accountability, reserved quotas for teachers, and internal promotions. This led to a suspension of protests by the Confederation of Nepalese Teachers (CNT). However, unrest resurfaced as the bill failed to pass for over eighteen months after the initial agreement.
Teachers took to the streets, and nationwide escalations led to the 2025 teachers’ protest in Kathmandu. Although advocacy for educational reform was supported by many individuals nationwide and garnered international solidarity, the protests disrupted the educational sector significantly. Dozens of schools closed due to faculty shortages, final board examinations were postponed, and thousands of students were left with a shortened end to the school year.
However, this disruption to education was acknowledged by educators taking part in the protests. For many teachers, the movement represented a larger collective pressure on the government to ensure job security, union trade rights, and educational growth. As the protests expanded, the World Federation of Teachers (FISE) expressed solidarity with Nepal’s teachers, and widespread traction mobilized even more educators as parliament continued to delay action on the bill and six-point agreement—leaving them stalled for 19 months since their introduction.
As protestors continued to take to the streets from March into April, the state opted to respond with force rather than constructive dialogue. On April 27, 2025, Nepali police confronted peaceful protestors marching to the Federal Parliament with water cannons and batons. Over 60 protestors were injured due to the unsolicited violence, and many spoke out to express how the use of force undermined the education reform movement. The continued lack of legislative action only worsened the situation.
Following this escalation, the protests came to a halt on April 30th after a revised Nine-Point Agreement was reached between the federation and the Ministry of Education. This agreement included key provisions such as subsidized treatment for teachers and school staff, permission for sick leave, inclusion in the Social Security Fund, and a minimum salary for early childhood teachers. The agreement was formally endorsed by the Cabinet and confirmed to be passed by June 29th.
Although the Nine-Point Agreement seemingly quelled unrest in the educational sector, the lack of accountability from the Nepali government highlights a key moment in South Asian reform—and the government’s role in faculty matters. The failure to pass the Six-Point Agreement only resulted in greater advocacy from teachers, underscoring the public’s role in challenging the government’s unreliable approach to educational reform.
The success of the 2025 protests has shed new light on educational and labor reform, not only exposing the government’s shortcomings but also bringing the public’s determination to the forefront of the educational sector.