Cabinet Raises Salaries of Grant-Based Teachers, Announces Rs 5,000 Increase for ECD and School Staff

KATHMANDU, August 19, 2026 — The Government of Nepal has decided to increase the salaries and remuneration of teachers and school staff working under federal grant arrangements, providing financial relief to thousands of education workers across the country. A Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday decided that teachers working under the Teaching Support Grant quota at the secondary and basic levels will now receive salaries equivalent to government teachers of the corresponding third-class category.

Under the decision, teachers working under the Teaching Support Grant quota in Grades 9–10 will receive remuneration equivalent to that of third-class secondary-level teachers. Similarly, teachers working under the grant quota in Grades 6–8 will be paid at the level of third-class lower-secondary teachers. Government Spokesperson and Minister for Education and Sports Sashmit Pokharel said the decision was taken during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar.

Rs 5,000 Increase for ECD Facilitators and School Staff

The Cabinet has also decided to increase by Rs 5,000 per month the remuneration grant currently provided by the federal government to Early Childhood Development (ECD) facilitators, school employees and school support staff. The increase applies specifically to the federal government’s contribution. The final amount received by individual employees may vary because local governments have traditionally provided additional amounts on top of the federal grant.

Previusly, Education Minister Pokharel had told Parliament that different categories of ECD facilitators and school employees were receiving relatively low federal remuneration grants and that local governments were expected to supplement those amounts. He had also said the government was working toward a more sustainable arrangement for their remuneration and employment through education-sector reforms.

The latest Cabinet decision is therefore significant for education workers who have long demanded better pay, employment security and equal treatment. Earlier this month, the Confederation of Nepalese Teachers had raised concerns over what it described as unequal treatment of ECD educators, school employees and learning-grant teachers, demanding equal pay, improved allowances and the creation of permanent positions.

Cabinet Makes 11 Major Decisions

Besides the education-related salary increases, Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting approved several decisions concerning aviation, foreign affairs, disaster preparedness, legislation and public administration.

The 11 major Cabinet decisions are:

1. Software Development and Operation Committee: Approve the Software Development and Operation Committee (Formation) Order, 2083.

2. Japanese Grant for Tribhuvan International Airport: Accept approximately Rs 2.73 billion in grant assistance from the Government of Japan for a project aimed at improving air traffic control at Tribhuvan International Airport.

3. Nepal-India Border Management Meeting: Approve the participation of a Nepali delegation led by a Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the 14th Joint Working Group on Border Management, scheduled to be held in India on August 20 and 21, 2026.

4. Asian Disaster Preparedness Center: Approve the establishment of a sub-center of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Nepal.

5. 81st UN General Assembly: Approve the participation of a Nepali delegation led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States.

6. Rs 5,000 Increase for School Personnel: Increase the federal government’s monthly remuneration grant for ECD facilitators, school employees and school support staff by Rs 5,000.

7. Salary Parity for Teaching Support Grant Teachers: Provide salaries to Teaching Support Grant teachers working in Grades 9–10 and Grades 6–8 equivalent to third-class secondary and third-class lower-secondary teachers, respectively.

8. Nepal-Saudi Arabia Air Services Agreement: Approve a bilateral air services agreement between the governments of Nepal and Saudi Arabia.

9. Payment and Settlement Act Amendment: Approve the submission of a bill to amend the Payment and Settlement Act, 2075 to the Federal Parliament.

10. Citizen Investment Trust Act Amendment: Approve the submission of a bill to amend the Citizen Investment Trust Act, 2047 to the Federal Parliament.

11. Promotion of Kamal Prasad Bhattarai: Promote Joint Secretary Kamal Prasad Bhattarai to the gazetted special class, or secretary level, and appoint him as Chief Secretary at the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers of Bagmati Province.

Among Wednesday’s decisions, the salary adjustment for grant-based teachers is particularly important because it moves their remuneration closer to that of teachers serving in comparable government-approved positions.

Rather than simply providing a fixed increase to Teaching Support Grant teachers, the Cabinet has decided to link their remuneration to the relevant government teacher salary scale. This means Grades 9–10 grant teachers will be aligned with third-class secondary teachers, while Grades 6–8 grant teachers will be aligned with third-class lower-secondary teachers.

The decision also comes shortly after teacher organisations renewed demands for salary equality, employment security and permanent positions for grant-based teachers, ECD facilitators and school employees.

The Cabinet decision represents an immediate improvement in remuneration, although broader questions concerning permanent positions, long-term job security, benefits and implementation under a new federal education law remain separate policy issues.