Proposed Agreement Regarding Advancement Mechanism for Teachers in School Education Legislation
New Teacher Promotion System Introduced in Nepal's School Education Bill
The Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee of Nepal has agreed on a new three-pronged promotion system for teachers in the School Education Bill. This system, aimed at improving transparency, practicability, and fairness, involves internal competition, seniority combined with performance evaluation, and capacity assessment.
Under this new system, promotions for teachers in community schools will be made through three methods: internal competition, seniority, and performance evaluation. However, the promotion methods at levels beyond primary, lower secondary, and secondary will extend to include internal competition, seniority, and performance evaluation, as well as capacity assessment.
For basic level teachers, the promotion quotas have been set as follows:
- Third-class teachers: 100% promotions through open (external) competition
- Second-class teachers: 20% internal competition, 40% seniority/performance, 40% capacity evaluation
- First-class teachers: 10% internal competition, 45% seniority/performance, 45% capacity evaluation
At the secondary level, the quotas are as follows:
- Third-class teachers: 80% open competition, 20% internal competition (notably, 20% of third-class secondary posts will be filled by promotion from lower secondary)
- Second-class teachers: 20% internal competition, 40% seniority/performance, 40% capacity assessment
- First-class teachers: 10% internal competition, 45% seniority/performance, 45% capacity assessment
Open competition will be used for recruiting teachers in the third class at both the basic and secondary levels. In contrast, promotions to second and first class positions at the primary, lower secondary, and secondary levels have been restricted to internal competition and performance evaluation.
To be eligible for promotion, teachers must maintain an average of 80% over the past 5 years for performance evaluation. Additionally, the new law proposes periodic promotions based on service duration, requiring an average score of 90 percent for eligibility.
Notably, the new system emphasizes performance and capacity-based assessments rather than promotions based solely on service duration. This change is significant, as periodic promotions based on service duration have been removed.
Another notable change is the automatic suspension of Nepal Teachers' Association membership for principals during their tenure.
The Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee of Parliament has reached an agreement on many provisions of the School Education Bill, marking a significant step towards implementing these changes in teacher promotions across community schools in Nepal.
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- The School Education Bill in Nepal proposes a three-part promotion system for teachers, involving internal competition, seniority combined with performance evaluation, and capacity assessment, especially for teachers beyond primary, lower secondary, and secondary levels.
- For basic level teachers, the new system sets promotion quotas: 100% for third-class teachers through open competition, 20% internal competition, 40% seniority/performance, and 40% capacity evaluation for second-class teachers, and 10% internal competition, 45% seniority/performance, and 45% capacity evaluation for first-class teachers.
- The new policy-and-legislation aims to prioritize education-and-self-development by stressing performance and capacity-based assessments over promotions based solely on service duration, a departure from previous practices.
- Open competition will be used for recruiting teachers at both the basic and secondary levels, while promotions to second and first class positions will be limited to internal competition and performance evaluation. Teachers seeking promotion must maintain a consistent learning performance over the past 5 years.
