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Kathmandu Wednesday August 22, 2001 Bhadra 06, 2058.
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Neglected sector
The country observed the 37th children day the other day
without making any commitment to child welfare. This indicates that the government
has failed to recognize the fundamental rights of those children who have been deprived of
free and compulsory primary education for years. Had the Deuba government realized
this, or initiated a programme to reform the primary education sector, it would have given
much hope for better future for children, the future pillars of a nation. It could have
also served as a prompter for the government to do the needful for the children’s
future. But the way Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba ignored such a need shows a lack of
concensus by the government for the welfare of children. True, the past government —
be it led by Girija Prasad Koirala or Krishna Prasad Bhattarai — did not introduce
any measures to improve primary education. As a result, children who belong to poor
families continue to remain out of schools. This is nothing but a lack of knowledge
and a lack of earnest commitment to children’s education.
According to the International Labour Law and Central
Department of Population Studies, of the total 6.2 million children, 2.6 million between
the age of 5-14 years work under exploitative environments across the country. This
includes one-third of the children. Fifteen percent of them are involved in non-economic
activities, while 1.7 million are engaged in gainful employment. This apart, thirty seven
percent of children continue to remain out of schools, while 83 percent involved in
economic activities are unpaid. The number of such children is higher among girls since
they are involved in unpaid household work. A large number of children in the age group of
5-14 years work in unorganized conditions, often helping their parents in different
vocations. The twenty percent of children below 14 years of age are deprived of primary
education. Free and compulsory education is the buzz word among politicians, educationists
and development practitioners, but hundreds of thousands of children are yet to acquire
their education rights. Sixty percent of the children enrolled in government-run schools
do not complete primary education.This shows how easily the government turns a blind eye
to children’s education.
Over a decade, successive governments have invested more than
twenty billion rupees to improve the country’s education system. Where did the
government spend such a huge amount of money? The government-run schools have neither
proper infrastructure nor do they have adequate teaching materials. The frequent change of
academic session has also badly hampered the smooth functioning of academic institutions.
In remote villages, teachers remain absent for months and as a result, children are made
to help parents with domestic chores. And the chief evil is poverty. The much-hyped
poverty alleviation slogan will not be more than an ambitious dream if there remains no
quality investment in the education sector.
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