Educationpatra, Kathmandu. Mayor Urges Private Schools to Provide Equal Salaries to Teachers, Sparking Debate on Education Standards
In a significant development, Mayor Balen Shah of Kathmandu Metropolitan City has issued instructions to private schools, calling for the provision of salary facilities equal to those provided in government schools. The directive, issued on Thursday afternoon, aims to bridge the salary disparity between teachers in public and private educational institutions.
Citing relevant provisions from the Education Act 2028 and the Municipal Corporation’s School Education Management Regulations 2078, Mayor Balen Shah emphasized that private school teachers should receive the same salary as their counterparts in government schools. He encouraged teachers who feel they are not receiving equitable compensation to file a complaint in adherence to the legal framework.
However, the directive has met with resistance and dissatisfaction from school administrators, who argue that implementing such a directive is impractical and beyond their capacity.
The Education Act, 2028, specifically in Section 12(7)(g), outlines the rights and responsibilities of management committees in institutional schools. It explicitly states that teachers should receive their salaries without any reduction from the scale set by the Government of Nepal.
Mayor Balen Shah took to social media, particularly Facebook, to share his stance on the issue of teacher salary facilities. He highlighted Rule 68 of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City School Education Management Regulations, 2074, which safeguards against salary reductions and ensures the preservation of allowances, pensions, gratuities, and other benefits for teachers and employees.
Sitaram Koirala, the education officer of the education department within Kathmandu Metropolitan City, reaffirmed the importance of adhering to the legal provisions and emphasized the need for everyone to comply. He assured that complaints would be diligently addressed and necessary actions would be taken.
Representative organizations of private schools, such as Pabson and N-Pabson, have argued that as private schools are registered under the Companies Act, salary allowances are governed by the Labor Act rather than the Education Act. They assert that they are already paying teachers in accordance with the Labor Act and are not obligated to implement the mayor’s directive.
According to Schedule 22 of the Education Regulations, 60 percent of a school’s total earnings are allocated to employees, while the remaining 40 percent is designated for scholarships, infrastructure development, and profits.
Prem Rai, the Kathmandu district president of Pabson, emphasized that private schools conduct educational activities in compliance with the Education Act, while financial activities follow the regulations set forth by the Companies Act. Chairman Rai argued that their adherence to the Labor Act in terms of salary payments renders the metropolis’ decision impractical.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City is home to 504 institutional schools. While some schools already provide salary facilities on par with government schools, many others employ teachers with significantly lower compensation.
Educationist Prof. Dr. Laxman Gyawali believes that the metropolis’ guidelines favor teachers, urging schools to implement them. He believes that empowering teachers will lead to better compensation and attract more qualified individuals to the teaching profession. Dr. Gyawali predicts that if the directive is not promptly implemented, teachers will voice their concerns, prompting further actions from the schools.
Some individuals argue that the metropolis’ guidelines, if enforced, will enhance educational quality and result in the closure of schools that fall short in this regard. Teacher Krishna Badal opines that students will benefit from reduced fees, and schools with subpar educational quality will be forced to shut down. He suggests that the metropolis’ decision may signal the end of schools operating solely for profit, fostering an environment that supports academic excellence.
However, educationist Prof. Dr. Vidyanath Koirala raises concerns about the practicality of implementing the directive. He asserts that the salary a teacher receives in a private school should be determined based on their earnings, rather than being standardized.
Education officer Koirala reiterates that the metropolis aims to improve educational quality and warns that schools failing to meet the prescribed standards may face closure. He affirms that the metropolis has no objections to the closure of schools that cannot provide quality education within the established guidelines.
As a result of this directive, many schools may consider merging with others. Teacher Badal suggests that schools with fewer students and limited resources may seek mergers with better-equipped institutions. He predicts an increase in school mergers following the COVID-19 pandemic, which will be further fueled by the metropolis’ directive.
Teacher Badal further emphasizes that public schools now offer educational quality on par with private schools charging fees of up to 10,000 Nepalese rupees per month. He praises Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s investment in community education and believes that it poses a challenge to institutional schools to meet the evolving standards.
Educationist Koirala suggests that many institutional schools may struggle to meet government salary scales and could explore mergers as a means to manage their operations effectively and increase student enrollment.
