The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology has rescheduled talks with the Nepal Teachers’ Federation for Saturday morning, after a scheduled meeting on Friday could not take place.

In a statement issued on Friday, the ministry said that although an invitation had been extended to the federation for talks on Friday, the meeting could not be held.

The invitation for talks follows a recent order from the Supreme Court, directing the government to ensure the protesting school teachers return to classrooms within three days.

Issuing an interim order in a writ petition by advocate Shrawan Chaudhary, the top court on Thursday said that the protest has, prima facie, denied the students their right to education, and it would continue if the court doesn’t intervene.

The ministry has now called for a meeting with the federation at 7:30am Saturday in the presence of the Minister for Education, Science and Technology Raghuji Pant. The statement, undersigned by Joint Secretary Yuvaraj Paudel, urged the federation’s president and other officials to attend the talks.

The talks aim to address the demands raised by protesting teachers through dialogue and consultation, the ministry said.

The Teachers’ Federation Nepal, an umbrella body representing school teachers, has been staging demonstrations for the past 24 days, demanding immediate promulgation of the School Education Act that incorporates their demands.

The agitating teachers are adamant about continuing their demonstrations until the Bill is passed and their concerns are addressed. Ensuring pay and perks at par with those of civil servants is their major demand.

The list also includes payment of grades, allowances to relief quota teachers, separate dedicated hospital or health checkups at a discounted price at the Civil Service Hospital. Permanent status for the temporary teachers through internal competitions is another demand. Allowing them to work under the federal government is another demand, though they are downplaying it following criticism that it is against the spirit of the constitution.