Education Reform: Comprehensive Peace Agreement

3.9. Policies shall be undertaken to establish the rights of all the citizens to education, health, shelter, employment and food security.

7.5.4. With the realization of the fact that the right to education to all should be guaranteed and respected, both sides are committed to maintaining a congenial academic environment in educational institutions. Both sides agree to guarantee that the right to education shall not be violated. They agree to immediately put an end to such activities as capturing educational institutions and using them, abducting teachers and students, holding them captives, causing them to disappear, and not to set up army barracks in a way that would adversely impact schools and hospitals.

Implementation History

2006

No Implementation

No progress made in terms of education reform.

2007

Minimum Implementation

Notwithstanding the provisions in the CPA, the Maoists as well as other political parties organized strikes on educational institutions. According to a news report, the Maoists shut down all (private) educational institutions indefinitely, and demanded pay raises. This affected more than 35,000 people across the country. A student wing of the Maoists as well as a forum of seven teachers' unions, also affiliated with the Maoists, were the organizers.1 The strike lasted for 11 days and schools reopened after pressure from parents and right groups.2 Multiple student organizations, affiliated with almost every political party, organized strikes on educational institutions. 

  • 1. "Maoists close down Nepal schools indefinitely," Indo-Asian News Service, May 17, 2007.
  • 2. "Millions of students head back to schools in Nepal after teachers end strike," Associated Press Worldstream, May 28, 2007.
2008

Intermediate Implementation

Schools and colleges were closed due to strike called by student organizations affaliated to political parties. Education institutions were politicized. There was no fear of students being conscripted by armed groups.

2009

Intermediate Implementation

No developments observed this year.

2010

Intermediate Implementation

Along with the strikes and politicization of the education sector in Nepal, the Maoist leader in December 2010 warned that “his party would turn all campuses and schools across the country into ‘barracks’ if conspiracies against peace and the new constitution go unabated."3 Despite this warning and the Constituent Assembly failure to finalize the draft constitution in a timely manner, there have been no reports of schools being turned into barracks. There were also no reports of capturing school teachers and educational institutions.

  • 3. "Nepal: Prachanda Warns Against Conspiracies to Impede New Constitution," Revolution in South Asia, December 13, 2010.
2011

Intermediate Implementation

General strikes called by various groups hit the educational institutions hard. Nevertheless, there was also no report of capturing school teachers and educational institutions by politically motivated groups.  

2012

Intermediate Implementation

No further developments observed this year.

2013

Intermediate Implementation

No further developments observed this year.

2014

Intermediate Implementation

No further developments observed this year.

2015

Intermediate Implementation

No further developments observed this year.