KATHMANDU, July 17: Ever since the government was formed under the leadership of Balendra Shah, various professional, social, and political groups have actively protested, demanding that the administration meet their needs. Although the public initially held high expectations for the newly formed government, a diverse range of groups is now taking to the streets. This unrest stems from the government’s failure to swiftly address demands related to education, civil administration, healthcare, land management, employment, good governance, and economic policy.
Teachers, healthcare workers, civil servants, farmers, squatters, and business owners are raising their voices for land reform, guaranteed professional rights, secure employment, robust economic policies, and good governance. While these demands are not new, these groups are pressing the government to address them sooner rather than later. As the scope of these movements expands, the government’s decision-making capabilities and crisis-management skills are being put to the test.
Opposition to education regulation amendments
Stakeholders—including teachers, school employees, students, school management committees, and educational consultancies—who were eagerly awaiting the federal Education Act are deeply disappointed by the government's tenth amendment to the education regulations. The Nepal Teachers' Association (NTA) is staging protests to demand the immediate enactment of the School Education Act, the implementation of past agreements, the proper management of temporary and relief teachers, and improvements to overall services and facilities.
Tul Bahadur Thapa, Secretary General of the NTA, accused the government of failing to honor past agreements repeatedly made with teachers. He warned that the NTA would announce further protests during its upcoming meeting on August 1 and 2. Thapa declared that this government should have resolved the problems plaguing school education through legislative action, but they have instead only amended the regulations as a token gesture. He added that the new regulations make the teacher transfer process overly difficult and mandate that school principals must be permanent teachers.
Demand for dignified working conditions
Staff, Early Childhood Development (ECD) workers, and teachers hired under the Federal Teaching Learning Grant at public schools are protesting because their salaries and benefits are far from respectable. They are demanding a minimum wage, permanent appointments, social security, and improved benefits. Their primary grievance is that despite playing a vital role in the education system, the state continues to overlook them.
Secretary General Thapa noted that the national budget failed to include provisions ensuring that the salaries and benefits of thirty thousand ECD teachers, an equal number of school workers, and eleven thousand high school teachers under the federal grant match those of permanent teachers. He explained that they are protesting because not even ten percent of these performance-related issues have been addressed. The NTA also pointed out that the regulations impractically forbid newly permanent teachers from transferring to other schools for three years.
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Impractical provisions for SMC Federation Nepal
The NTA has also accused the government of undermining public schools. Thapa stated that a provision under Rule 26 of the regulations, which requires any School Management Committee (SMC) Federation Nepal member to have a five-year gap after leaving a political party, is highly impractical and will make it nearly impossible to form committees at community schools.
Kashinath Dangal, Central Chairperson of the SMC Federation Nepal, agreed that the regulations hamper the smooth running of public schools. He explained that twenty-six thousand of the country's schools are public, and parents of students at these schools tend to be affiliated with one political party or another. He stated that no parent is going to leave their political party five years in advance just to become an SMC Federation Nepal member, meaning that by enforcing this provision, the government appears to be actively sabotaging the operation of public schools.
Educational consultancies join the protest
Following growing complaints regarding student fraud, misleading advertisements, exorbitant fees, and weak oversight, the government has introduced new measures to regulate the educational consultancy sector. Semanta Raj Koirala, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports, reported that the government approved the Educational Consultancy, Language Teaching, and Preparation Class (Operation and Management) Regulations, 2026 to introduce greater regulation, transparency, and accountability.
The ministry claims the cabinet-approved regulations include licensing mandates for consultancy agencies, a compulsory security deposit of two point five million rupees, structured license renewals, financial transaction oversight, and measures for student safety and service quality. Educational consultancies, however, accuse the government of trying to shut them down under the guise of regulation and have threatened to protest. Laxman Poudel, President of the Educational Consultancy Association of Nepal, alleged that the government's true intention is to phase out consultancies entirely.
Ongoing student protests
Students are also protesting a ban on student-led organizations in schools and universities. While the government has proposed replacing the Free Student Union (FSU) with a student council, the Supreme Court has ordered a temporary stay on abolishing the FSU. Student organizations continue to protest across several universities and campuses, demanding the implementation of strict academic calendars, timely examinations, regulated fees, expanded scholarship quotas, and general university reforms.
The farmers' movement
Under the new government, the struggles of Nepal's agricultural sector remain unchanged. Farmers' organizations are protesting a chronic lack of support, with their primary demand being the reliable availability of chemical fertilizers like urea, DAP, and potash, as well as high-quality seeds during the planting season. They are also demanding minimum support prices for key produce—such as rice, milk, vegetables, and sugarcane—to ensure fair compensation.
Farmers argue that cheap, imported agricultural products continue to undercut their livelihoods. They are demanding concessional agricultural loans, the restructuring of old debts, interest relief, crop insurance against natural disasters, improved irrigation, better agricultural infrastructure, and robust market management. Additionally, dairy farmers are protesting delayed payments for milk.
Civil servants voice dissatisfaction
Civil servants remain frustrated that the Federal Civil Service Act has still not been enacted, years after Nepal transitioned to a federal system of governance. Employee organizations are ramping up pressure on the government to resolve outstanding issues regarding career progression, promotions, staff adjustments, and job security. Contract workers, whom the government had initially planned to lay off starting July 17, are also protesting. Following a cabinet meeting, the government agreed to establish guidelines to accommodate the sixty thousand contract workers nationwide.
Healthcare workers raise safety concerns
Doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals have been protesting for months over workplace safety, staff shortages, hazard allowances, and substandard facilities. They argue that acute understaffing is severely compromising patient care amid rising patient volumes. Interning medical doctors at private hospitals complain that they do not receive a minimum wage or night-shift allowances. One intern doctor shared that a government-formed committee recommended two months ago that interns be paid twenty-four thousand rupees, aligning them with eighth-level medical officers, yet this has not been implemented. Furthermore, they warn that mandatory thirty-six-hour shifts are severely degrading the quality of healthcare provided.
Usury victims back on the streets
Victims of predatory usury are once again marching for justice. Having previously completed a grueling "Justice March" from Janakpurdham to Kathmandu, they are protesting again because the government failed to honor past agreements, prosecute corrupt lenders, or return seized properties. After hours of unproductive talks with the Home Minister in Nijgadh, Bara, a new government negotiation team was formed on Thursday. Led by Pushkar Sapkota, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the team includes joint secretaries from the Ministries of Finance, Home Affairs, and Land Management.
Other individual sector demands
Other individual sectors are also piling pressure on the administration with distinct demands. Business owners are demanding stable economic policies to counter falling consumer demand, investment delays, tight banking credit, and high tax rates. Meanwhile, displaced squatters are protesting forced evictions conducted without alternative housing plans, demanding that their constitutional right to shelter be respected. Youth activists are calling for job creation, transparent governance, and efficient public services. Simultaneously, the Federation of Nepali Journalists is protesting a policy that bars government advertisements from being issued to private media outlets, arguing it unfairly starves private journalism of vital revenue.
A critical challenge for the government
Every major sector held high hopes that this new administration would address its grievances, and they are now leveraging protests to force the government's hand. Within parliament, opposition parties are highly likely to weaponize this widespread public dissatisfaction to their advantage. The government's ultimate challenge will be whether it can manage these multi-sector crises through meaningful dialogue, compromise, and policy reform, rather than treating protests as mere security threats to be suppressed.
