SCHOOL SHUTDOWN
Operation
Destruction
With an average literacy rate below 60 percent and high drop out rate; wide gap in teacher-student ratio and lack of basic infrastructures, Nepal's school education system is struggling to cope with a number of problems. With the inception of Maoist insurgency, the education sector became a constant target. Although peace agreement has already been signed between the government and Maoists, Maoist-affiliated teachers and student unions continue their campaign against the education system. As usual, their main target is private boarding schools -which have been serving more than one third of total 7.8 million students. As they have imposed lockout by pushing politically motivated demands, nobody knows when schools will open. Even if agitators agree to open the school now, no one can remain assured that they will not announce general strike again
By KESHAB POUDEL
Sabina Pariyar, 14, a resident of Godavari Village Development committee, is worried whether her parents will allow her to go to school or not. Unlike other urban children, Pariyar, a dalit, has to go to work in the field along with her mother.
"Since my school is indefinitely closed, my parents want me to be in rice field for paddy sowing," said Pariyar. "My parents feel relief as they have got a helping hand," said Pariyar, a student of class eight of Kitini Higher Secondary School. “If my school is closed down for another two weeks, I am not sure whether I will continue my education."
Sabina's father Kale Pariyar, a father of four children, is considering the utility of giving education to his daughter. "When my daughter went to school, my wife had to take responsibility of all household chores. Now, we are getting support from her," he said.
Sarwan Dhakal, a resident of Gairidhara, is now considering sending his child to India as frequent general strike has already reduced the performance of his ten-year-old child. "As our student unions and teachers union are calling the general strike one after another, I don't have any other option than to send my children to Indian schools," said Dhakal.
Frustrated by frequent general strikes and disturbance in education sector, many students - of middle class family waiting the School Leaving Certificate results - are already in search of schools in India. Take the case of Purnika Khadka, 15, who appeared in the School Leaving Certificate this year. She is now searching for school in India for higher
secondary education." I don't want to study here because there is uncertainty all the time," she rued.
Nhuchhe Maharjan, 12, a student of Sramik Shanti high school of Chyasal Lalitpur, however, does not have economic capability to go out of capital for studies. "I will continue my education back here in the country. I will do best if luck smiles on me,” he said. As a child of farmer, Maharjan has to live at the mercy of student unions like Maoists who are calling general strikes giving pressure to the poor people like Maharjan.
The indefinite general strike harms the interest of children like Pariyar and Maharjan who may join the list of drop-outs if the agitation continues for months. Although right to education is universal fundamental human right and Nepal's interim constitution also guarantees education as fundamental right, no body is in position to condemn these activities aimed at targeting schools.
Eight political party leaders who are promising to build new Nepal are compelled to see grand rehearsal to destroy the education system and make the country illiterate and backward.
Just after coming from his foreign visit, Minister for Sports and Education Pradeep Nepal called the agitating parties to withdraw the indefinite strike and come in negotiation table. "I call all agitating teachers and student unions to come to negotiation table by calling off the indefinite strike," said Nepal.
Even United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) urged concerned parties to pave the way for opening up the education institution. UNICEF also reminded that the right to education is fundamental human rights.
National Coalition for Children as Zones of Peace (CZOP), a local NGO, has already requested the agitating parties to end the indefinite strikes. They urged them to make the
education institution as peace zones.
With just a motive to destabilize the education system, the call of national and international organization has not made any change in the stand of agitating Maoist teacher union and student group.
"We want the government to fist implement all previous agreements. Unless the government does not implement previous agreement, we will continue our indefinite general strike," said Mukunda Gautam, president of Institutional School Teachers' Union (ISTU) and member of the Educational Republican Forum (ERF). "We will only agree on ministerial-level talks and not secretarial level ones," he said. The ERF is leading a number of organization to impose the school shutdown.
Turning deaf ear to the calls by UNICEF, local NGOs and government, the agitating parties have adamant to give any concession on negotiation. "The
strikes will be in force even if the talks take place. We want to settle all
the issue now," said Gautam.
Along with other organizations, representatives of Private and Boarding Schools' Organization Nepal (PABSON) and National PABSON have been making efforts to
break the ice but in vain.
They have already met prime minister, minister of education and leaders of eight parties but no body seem to be in a position to press agitators. "We met Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and Dinanath Sharma who are also positive to open the school. In reality, they too are helpless," said a member of delegation on condition of anonymity. "Despite branding themselves as Maoist-affiliated organizations, students and teachers are not under the control of the party. Who controls them? Compared to their union leaders who even threatened to permanently close down our private schools, Maoist leaders are sympathetic to us," he said.
This is not the first case of instability in education. For a year, all the universities were put into disorder by holding back the appointment of vice chancellors by the prime minister himself. A determined new minister in Education Ministry who threatened to resign compelled the prime minister to get vice chancellors appointed.
But soon after this settlement, another bigger crisis has erupted by the closure of all schools including the private ones all over the country for indefinite period. Without any sign of serious concern from the leader of the government who is enjoying even the status of head of the state, about 7.8 million students are suffering in this country.
Like all other sectors, the education sector also has many problems and contradictions. Some private boarding schools do not pay minimum salary to the teachers and other staffs. There are ways to press for such demands. One cannot justify this kind of criminal act committed against millions of children of the country.
With demands for free education and nationalization of education, student organizations, particularly Maoist-affiliated organizations have broken records in the last one decade by calling frequent general strikes in the country.
"Frequent indefinite general strikes not only hamper the education system but also affects the children psychology," said educationist Dr. Mana Prasad Wagle. “You cannot guess the social and economic damage of this situation."
Education Against Poverty
As it is said by world renowned American economist J.K. Galbraith "where there is literacy there is no poverty and where there is no literacy there is poverty,” the experiences have shown that a literate farmer can earn more than double income compared with his illiterate counterpart.
A literate person cares for hygiene and sanitation much more than illiterate one. From income generation to social and health sector, a literate person can make a lot of difference.
After the restoration of democracy in 1990, education was a sector which saw massive upsurge with the number of new schools coming up. The literacy rate has doubled in the span of 12 years. This also contributed to reduce the level of poverty from 40 percent in 1996 to 30 percent in 2007.
Along with the efforts and investment of government, the private sector has also played immense role in the last decade to expand countrywide network of primary and high schools and colleges. Published by Ministry of Finance, Economic Survey 2006-07 revealed that there are 2159 primary schools run by private sector with 268824 students against 20020 schools with 4502697 students in government schools. There are 967 private boarding high schools with 56075 students whereas 4102 government high schools have enrolled 586177 students.
Defecting Students
Frequent general strikes called by student unions and teachers unions have made
the education institution uncertain and anarchic. Thanks to general strike, Nepal education system is uncertain and anarchic. This is the reason most of upper class and upper middle class families are sending their children to Indian schools.
"Thanks to the instability and frequent disturbance in the private schools, many parents have already sent their children to India," said Umesh Shrestha, president of PABSON. "After the restoration of democracy in 1990, private schools were able to reduce the number of students going to India. The situation is reverse now.”
Others, too, agree that frequent disruption like the present one in the education compelled Nepalese parents to send their children to India. "The number of Nepalese students going to study in Indian cities like Darjeeling, Deharadun, New Delhi and Lucknow has dramatically increased. This is the result of frequent general strikes," said Karna Bahadur Shahi, general secretary of National PABSON. “Large numbers of students are fleeing to India."
Every year a large number of students go to Indian schools because of instability and trouble in the country. On an average a student pays, about Rs.8000.00 a month in Indian schools. If ten thousand students leave the country, the country will lose a billion rupees.
Many students now in the private schools are shifting to India and other parts of the world. Most of the middle class populations see Indian schools as of higher quality and safe for the future of the students.
Although Maoists student unions and trade unions are calling indefinite general strike claiming benefits to the poor but it is the poor who have to suffer a lot without possibility of sending their children outside the country.
"It is a great loss to the country in terms of economy as well as in terms of other things,' said Mana Prasad Wagle, an education expert. The country has to suffer a loss of Rs. 100 million in a day of closure.
Whatever the consequences and damages the country has to face, there is no immediate sign of returning normalcy in the education sector. The destruction of education institution that began after the upsurge of Maoist insurgency in 1996 still continues.
Till Tuesday, six days had already passed since the indefinite strike. More the schools are closed, more the students and country will have to suffer.
Whatever reasons are behind it, closing down education institution for indefinite period will harm children like Pariyar and Maharjan who have neither ability go abroad nor can continue the education amid uncertain crisis.
