KATHMANDU, Aug 30: Temporary teachers of community schools across the country have taken to the street yet again with their demand to make all temporary teachers permanent on the basis of internal competition. As part of their protests, the Temporary Teachers´ Struggle Committee (TTSC) on Friday called for the closure of all community schools throughout the country. As a result, a majority of schools in the country remained closed. TTSC was formed by temporary teachers recruited by community schools after 2006 to pressure the government to meet their demands. Likewise, representatives of the TTSC also staged a two-hour sit-in protest in front of all 75 district education offices. A vacancy announcement was made by the Teachers´ Service Commission under the Ministry of Education (MoE) in January with a provision that temporary teachers appointed before April 24, 2006 would be given permanent tenure through internal competition whereas other teachers would be appointed through open competition, and this was but a conspiracy to terminate their jobs, said Ram Chandra Adhikari, chairman of TTSC. TTSC had therefore resorted to protests. He said temporary teachers recruited after April 24, 2006 should also be selected for permanent appointment through internal competition as with temporary teachers appointed before that time interval. The government in January amended the Education Regulations, stating that teachers appointed before April 24, 2006 would be eligible for internal competition. But MoE had maintained that the internal competition would be announced after holding open competition for some 13,000 vacant teacher positions at community schools. Over 485,000 people including temporary teachers appointed after April 24, 2006 have applied for the 13,000 vacant posts. “But free competition is an unfair way for providing permanent appointment. Though we have already invested several years of our lives in the teaching profession, we may end up losing our jobs through the open competition if we do not obtain sufficient marks for recruitment. The provision has increased job insecurity,” said Adhikari. As many as 13,135 temporary teachers have been appointed since 2006 as primary to secondary-level teachers at community schools. “The government cannot discriminate against us and leave us to fight in open competition. All the temporary teachers, no matter when they were appointed, should be appointed through internal competition,” he said. According to him, the government should first give permanent appointment to all temporary teachers at community schools and should go for open competition only for filling other vacant posts. The TSSC members had submitted a memorandum to district education officers in all the districts after their sit-in protest. Agitating temporary teachers in Kathmandu district had also submitted a memorandum putting forward their demands to Baikuntha Aryal, District Education Officer (DEO). “He has assured us to forward the memorandum to the concerned authorities including MoE and the Department of Education and request them to meet our demands,” said Adhikari, quoting the DEO. The TSSC has also decided to stage a sit-in in front of Singhadurbar on September 4, 5 and 6 to pressure the government to meet their demands. “All our district representative members are going to assemble in the capital for the sit-in program. We have already circulated to our members information regarding the protest,” he said. He threatened to launch stern protests if their demands go unheeded.