Teachers, Politics, and Dissent: A Heated Debate!

Milan Dahal

*During the meeting of the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee under the House of Representatives held last Thursday, Kisan Shrestha, a Member of Parliament from the CPN (Unified Socialist), expressed the opinion that teachers should be allowed to participate in partisan politics.

Arguing that it would be meaningless for them to go to elections if teachers are not allowed to engage in politics, he suggested that teachers should be permitted to do so as long as it does not affect their classroom activities. He stated in the committee meeting, "Teachers should be allowed to engage in politics if it does not impact the classroom. If the politics done by a teacher does not affect the classroom, why stop them? If teachers are not allowed to engage in politics, then it is pointless for us leaders to go to elections." Shrestha believes that preventing teachers from engaging in politics is akin to insulting them.

Similarly, former Education Minister Sumana Shrestha stood firm on the stance that teachers should not be allowed to engage in politics under any circumstances. She served as the Education Minister from the Rastriya Swatantra Party in the previous government and made efforts to keep teachers and education away from politics during her tenure. Because of this stance, some teachers were also disgruntled.

During her tenure, Sumana required 825 teachers affiliated with political parties to relinquish their party memberships and sought explanations from some. Faced with the choice between the party and their jobs, 20 teachers resigned from their profession during her tenure, effectively leaving the teaching profession. Sumana's stance, which could not reconcile education and teachers, neither brought improvement to school education nor reduced the political inclination among teachers. Instead, this step became one of the significant reasons for the downfall of the government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda.'

Our ministers and MPs are wasting their time debating whether to allow teachers to engage in politics or not, instead of focusing on how to connect teachers with new technologies, enhance their teaching capabilities, or prepare teachers for quality education.

Is it justified for a minister or MP to advocate for allowing teachers to engage in politics if they think it should be allowed or to impose restrictions if they believe teachers should not engage in politics? Rather than engaging in such meaningless debates, everyone should come together to improve the conditions of community schools. Since no teacher has openly stated that they must engage in politics, there is no need to debate whether to allow or not allow teachers to engage in politics.

If the law permits teachers to engage in politics, they should be able to engage in any activity they wish outside of working hours without affecting the school and classroom. If the law prohibits teachers from engaging in politics, then it should be fully enforced. However, being a teacher does not mean they should not be aware of or understand political and national issues.

Teachers must be interested and knowledgeable in various subjects, including geographical, economic, social, political, world events, and newly developed technologies. If teachers themselves are unaware of these topics, how will they educate their students? Current Minister of Education, Science, and Technology, Vidya Bhattarai, herself transitioned from the teaching profession to politics. Now, how can she justify asking teachers not to engage in politics?

Political parties, leaders, and ministers themselves are responsible for teachers being drawn towards or involved in politics. The primary reason teachers become involved in politics is that political leaders and parties use them for their purposes.

Various political party ministers have placed teachers who align with them in their private secretariats. When a teacher, who is teaching in a school, is placed in a minister's secretariat, they get to closely observe the work, services, facilities, prestige, and lifestyle of the minister, which piques their interest in politics.

When individuals who started their careers in teaching reach high positions in the country, it also attracts teachers towards politics. For example, former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, former Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota, current Education Minister Vidya Bhattarai, MP Arjun Narasingh KC, Dilendra Badu, Bhimsendas Pradhan, and former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara were all once involved in the teaching profession.

They have all held various leadership positions in the country's different bodies, with some still attempting to reach higher positions. Looking at individuals who have transitioned from teaching to high positions in the country, it is natural for others to aspire to reach the same positions.

Educationist Prof. Dr. Balchandra Luintel states that various factors, including culture, family background, and political structure, attract teachers towards politics. Educationist Luintel believes that the influence of family members being affiliated with some political party is also a contributing factor in Nepali society.

Teachers are often the knowledgeable and respected figures in a community, so they tend to mingle more with the community, which also connects politics and teachers, according to Luintel. He explains that during the Panchayat era, teachers and students were the backbone and backbone of politics. Now, however, educationist Luintel suggests that teachers and politics should be separated.

Luintel believes that teachers should not engage in politics because conflicts of interest arise when teachers are involved in politics. He says that while it is being suggested that teachers be allowed to engage in politics outside of school hours, it should not be allowed. According to Luintel, since teachers have the ability to evaluate others, if they are involved in politics, it could lead to biased behavior.