- The Nepal government approved a monthly Rs. 5,000 pay increase for Early Childhood Development facilitators and school support staff.
- Secondary and basic level teachers under grant quotas will now receive salaries aligned with starting pay for third-class permanent teachers.
- The remuneration adjustments are expected to create an additional annual financial liability of Rs. 4.689 billion for the government.
- Cabinet also accepted a Rs. 2.73 billion Japanese grant for airport upgrades and approved an air services agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Kathmandu , Nepal: The government has decided to increase the remuneration of Early Childhood Development (ECD) facilitators, school employees and school support staff. Acting on a proposal from the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Cabinet approved an increase of Rs. 5,000 per month in the remuneration grant provided by the federal government.
According to government spokesperson and Minister for Education and Sports Sasmita Pokhrel, the monthly remuneration of ECD facilitators has been increased from Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 17,000 under the new arrangement. Similarly, the remuneration of school support staff has been raised from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000, while school employees responsible for accounting will now receive Rs. 20,000, up from Rs. 15,000.
The Cabinet has also decided to align the salaries of teachers working under teaching support grant quotas at the secondary level (Grades 9–10) and basic level (Grades 6–8) with the starting salaries of third-class teachers at the respective levels.
Under the revised arrangement, the monthly remuneration of secondary-level teachers working under the federal teaching support grant quota has increased from Rs. 43,669 to Rs. 48,058. Likewise, the monthly remuneration of basic-level teachers has been increased from Rs. 34,730 to Rs. 38,203.
Minister Pokhrel said the increase was an important first step toward addressing the concerns of employees and ECD facilitators who have been working for years on low remuneration, particularly in schools located in remote and geographically challenging areas.
ECD facilitators and school support staff play an important role in the day-to-day functioning of schools. ECD facilitators, in particular, work with young children during the formative years of their education, while school support staff assist teachers and help maintain the basic operations of schools. However, their relatively low remuneration has remained a longstanding concern.
The increase is expected to provide some financial relief to these workers and could also help schools retain experienced personnel, particularly in remote areas where attracting and retaining staff is often difficult.
According to the Ministry of Education, implementation of the new remuneration structure will create an additional annual financial liability of Rs. 4.689 billion for the government. The additional expenditure reflects the scale of the government's commitment to improving the remuneration of school-level personnel and teachers working under grant-funded positions.
However, the implementation of the decision will also require sustained budgetary commitments. As education responsibilities are shared among the federal, provincial and local governments, effective coordination among the three levels will be important to ensure that the revised remuneration reaches eligible workers on time.
Other Cabinet Decisions
Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting also made a number of other decisions concerning various ministries and government agencies.
The meeting approved the Software Development and Operation Committee (Formation) Order, 2083.
The government also decided to accept grant assistance worth approximately Rs. 2.73 billion from the Government of Japan for a project aimed at improving air traffic control at Tribhuvan International Airport. The assistance is expected to support efforts to strengthen air traffic management infrastructure and improve the airport's operational capacity.
The Cabinet also approved the participation of a Nepali delegation led by a joint secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the 14th meeting of the Sub-Center of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), scheduled to be held in India on Bhadra 4 and 5, 2083.
The government has also approved the establishment of an ADPC Sub-Center in Nepal. The initiative is expected to contribute to strengthening Nepal's institutional capacity for disaster preparedness, risk reduction and emergency response.
Similarly, the government approved the dispatch of a Nepali delegation led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs to participate in the 81st United Nations General Assembly, which will be held in New York, United States.
Nepal is expected to use the international forum to raise issues of national and global importance, including climate change, disaster preparedness, sustainable development and the concerns of developing countries.
The Cabinet also approved the conclusion of a bilateral air services agreement between Nepal and Saudi Arabia. Such an agreement is expected to provide a framework for strengthening air connectivity between the two countries and could have implications for tourism, business, labour mobility and people-to-people relations.
The government also approved the submission to the Federal Parliament of a bill to amend the Payment and Settlement Act, 2075, and a bill to amend the Citizen Investment Fund Act, 2047.
In another administrative decision, the Cabinet promoted Joint Secretary Kamal Prasad Bhattarai to the Gazetted Special Class and appointed him Chief Secretary of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers of Bagmati Province.
The Cabinet's decision to increase the remuneration of ECD facilitators, school employees and grant-funded teachers is expected to provide immediate financial relief to thousands of workers. While the increase may not address all of the challenges facing these employees, it represents a significant step toward recognizing the responsibilities they carry and improving their working conditions.
