KATHMANDU: The Federal Teaching and Learning Grant Teachers Central Committee staged a symbolic street demonstration at Maitighar Mandala, placing whiteboard markers across the roadway to express dissatisfaction with the fiscal year 2026/27 budget.

The protesting educators said the symbolic act was meant to draw attention to long-standing demands, including job security, professional continuity, and improved service benefits.

They accused the government of disregarding multiple prior agreements reached in 2021, 2023, and 2025, as well as provisions outlined in earlier drafts of the Federal Education Act. The teachers also claimed authorities had failed to implement the agreed 60/40 ratio for internal and open competitive evaluations in managing grant-based teaching positions.

According to the committee, around 11,000 federal teaching and learning grant teachers are currently engaged in teaching core subjects such as English, Mathematics, and Science across basic and secondary levels nationwide. The ongoing agitation, which began yesterday, followed disappointment over the recent budget speech, which they say did not address demands for salary adjustments, dearness allowance, or performance-based incentives.

Protest leaders warned that if their concerns remain unresolved, they may escalate their movement by suspending classroom instruction and considering mass resignation.

Earlier in the day, the teachers had also staged a sit-in at the premises of the Center for Education and Human Resource Development, carrying school uniforms, identity cards, appointment letters, and whiteboard markers as symbols of their profession.

The committee has urged the government to honor previous commitments and ensure fair compensation and long-term job security for all grant-based teachers.

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