Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Monday urged striking teachers to immediately return to schools by reaching an agreement through negotiations, saying the government is ready to address demands that are financially and practically feasible.

Speaking at the 11th national convention of the Nepal Progressive Teachers’ Association in Kirtipur, Oli said the current government is committed to safeguarding trade union rights and addressing valid professional concerns.

“The School Education Bill is under review in a parliamentary committee. There is no need for teachers to protest in the streets over a draft bill,” Oli said. “The school enrollment campaign has begun. Please return to the classrooms, help enrol students, and start marking exam papers. Focus on improving education quality.”

He said the protests were harming students and parents while offering no benefit to teachers. “This is also not the right time to protest, as regressive forces are trying to gain ground,” Oli added.

Thousands of community school teachers have been staging street protests in Kathmandu for over two weeks, demanding that the upcoming School Education Act include provisions addressing their long-standing concerns and agreements with previous governments.

Oli, who also chairs the ruling CPN-UML party, said the academic community must play a role in defending the federal democratic republic through critical thinking.

“As conscious citizens, teachers must distinguish between democracy and dictatorship. No one can stay neutral about the kind of society they want,” he said.

Referring to the party’s ‘Mission 2084’, a campaign for the upcoming elections, Oli said it is a campaign against anarchy and regression. “You must support this mission through your writing, speaking, and intellectual work. The academic community must assert its identity,” he said.

“A country develops when its citizens are healthy, educated, and skilled. That should be our top priority.”

He urged professors to consider how education can be made more accessible and how to ensure quality, as well as the acquisition, preservation, and transmission of knowledge.

Oli also reminded them that their organisation was born out of a rights movement and called for a stronger role in future reforms in higher education.