The education stream students from Tribhuvan University have launched a protest, threatening self-immolation unless the government rolls back its decision to give permanent status to a majority of temporary teachers without competitive tests. Dozens of students demonstrated in Maitighar on Thursday, demanding that the government scrap the ninth amendment to Education Act-1972 which paved the way for permanent status to the teachers recruited on temporary basis without any tests. The students took to the streets after the Teachers Service Commission on Wednesday called the vacancies in over 20,000 of the positions based on the provision in the ninth amendment. Despite vehement objection from various quarters, Parliament on September 19 had endorsed the ninth amendment to the Act, opening the door for hundreds of temporary teachers to get state benefits even if they fail the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) test for permanent teachers. The amendment cleared the decks for announcing internal vacancies for temporary teachers who were recruited before August 6, 2004. These temporary teachers will be now eligible to get the permanent status if they secure just 40 marks—the minimum passing score. It has also cleared the way for the TSC to allocate 75 percent reservation for the temporary teachers recruited between August 6, 2004 and July 29, 2016. TSC’s call for applications to fill the vacant teaching positions comes at a time when the case against the amendment is still sub-judice in the Supreme Court. Earlier in the day, the agitating students had picketed the TSC. “How can the TSC call vacancy when the case against the Act is under consideration at the Supreme Court,” said Nirajan Shrestha, secretary of the students’ Central Struggle Committee. The students are preparing to submit their teaching licence and citizenship at the court ahead of the hearing on the case, which is scheduled on Friday. The government has issued 700,000 teaching licences, after conducting tests, which has been a mandatory provision for appointing teachers until the new change. In a statement released on Thursday, the struggle committee has said that it will start a hunger strike if the court verdict goes against them and even threaten self-immolation if the government still remains adamant in its decision. They have asked the government to call open vacancies where the fresh graduates and temporary teachers are allowed to contest the tests. The agitating students have claimed that the government and the political parties are conspiring to destroy the public education. Over 6 million students study in around 29,000 public schools across the nation. There are around 26,000 temporary teachers who landed jobs in the schools on the back their political patronage. केही दिन अगाडि नेपाल सरकारबाट पारित भएको शिक्षा ऐन २०२८ को नवौँ संशोधन राष्ट्रहित विपरित भएको भन्दै विद्यार्थी संघर्ष समितिले तत्काल खोरेजीको माग गरेको छ । संशोधन प्रति खेद प्रकट गर्दै संशोधनले राष्ट्रको शैक्षिक प्रणालीमा प्रत्यक्ष रुपमा नकारात्मक असर पु¥याउने समितिको दाबी रहेको छ । समितिद्वारा जारी विज्ञप्तिमा भनिएको छ, ‘यस संशोधनले देशका ६० लाख बालबालिकहरु गुणस्तरीय र प्रविधियुक्त शिक्षा पाउने मौलिक हकबाट बञ्चित भएका छन् भने ७ लाख भन्दा बढि अध्यापन अनुमतिपत्र लिएका विद्यार्थीहरु खुल्ला प्रतिस्पर्धामा आफ्नो क्षामता प्रदर्शन गर्नबाट बिमुख भएका छन् ।’ यस ऐनबाट अध्यापन अनुमति पत्रको परिक्षामा सामेल हुने तयारीमा रहेका लाखौं विद्यार्थीहरु मार खेपिरेहको विद्यार्थीहरुले बताएका छन् । त्यस्तै, शिक्षक सेवा आयोगले निर्वाचान आचार संहिता लागिरहेको समयमा र सर्वोच्चमा परेको ऐन खारेजीको रिट विचाराधीन रहेकै अवस्थामा कार्तिक २१ गते अस्थायी शिक्षकका लागी आन्तरिक प्रतिस्पर्धाबाट स्थायी पदपूर्तिको लागि आवेदन खुला गरेकोमा पनि समितिले घोर आपत्ति जनाउँदै तत्काल आवेदन बन्द गर्न आयोगलाई ध्यानाकर्षण गराएको छ । तत्काल आवेदन बन्द नगरिए अझै सशक्त रुपमा आन्दोलनमा उत्रने चेतावनी पनि दिएको संयोजक पुष्कर शर्माले जानकारी दिए ।