Kathmandu, Aug. 2 -- While mother parties are openly advocating for higher reservation quotas for temporary teachers in permanent postings, their student wings are demanding total free competition to fill the vacant positions.

Issuing a joint statement on Friday, 16 student unions affiliated with both the ruling and opposition parties, said that appointments through free competition are a must to appoint the competent teachers.

"Since teacher qualifications are a key standard for quality school education, the teacher recruitment must be done through a merit-based system in line with the constitutional principle of inclusion. The School Education Act must ensure that 100 percent of teacher appointments are made through open competition,"...