Teachers against amendment bill

By Khila Sharma

In the wake of passage of the Education Seventh Amendment Bill 2058 by both the Houses of Parliament, a lot of outcry from various teachers’ organisations has been heard. This reminds us of the time when the then government headed by Nepali Congress veteran Krishna Prasad Bhattarai decided to start legal proceedings to give permanent status to all teachers appointed to government positions for at least one year. At that time, all teachers’ organisations and political parties were competing to hail the decision. Though there was hardly any professional or political organisation condemning the resolution, a Supreme Court verdict declared it unlawful after investigating a couple of writ petitions filed by different individuals.

Teachers’ organisations and political parties had once again forgotten that such a blanket decision might mean a significant number of unqualified folks in the teaching profession, which in turn will result in poor quality education for at least another 20 years. But the ruling Nepali Congress party’s sister organisation, Nepal Students’ Association was critical of the decision owing to the possibility of a large group of teachers who are believed to be loyal to different communist parties acquiring permanent status. Such an action makes the nation ponder over the real concern of the teachers’ organisations and political parties. It seems that luring more and more teachers to their fold has priority over giving the nation quality education. Due to this kind of illusion, they make mistakes from time to time.

It is a bitter reality that while the infrastructure at public schools has become far better after the restoration of democracy, the quality of education is deteriorating. Educational development is not about what types of buildings have been erected but it is what junior citizens have developed within themselves, which is a result of the activities that go on inside and outside the school buildings.

Nepal Teachers’ Association, which has appealed to its members to denounce their affiliation with the ruling party, deserves congratulations and best wishes. The association bosses themselves know whether the step is a genuine attempt to make the association completely professional and apolitical or it is the only alternative open after the Education Seventh Amendment Bill’s passage by Parliament. At the same time, I wonder why the association echoes every word of their organisations against some of the provisions in the Bill, like testing and licensing of teachers, the formation and authority of school management committees, etc.

Why do the organisations not show willingness to act in unison with the government to save the forthcoming education regulations from the possibility of malpractice so that school management committees will not be left unbridled to determine the fate of teachers? We cannot doubt the intention of the government to question the qualification of teachers at work and deny the service they rendered to the nation up till now. These teachers are the gurus of present day ministers, lawmakers and leaders. A lot of news about many teachers resigning from their posts in various districts is flooding in. Teachers’ organisations are handing in memoranda to government bodies and protesting. It is reported that they fear some of the provisions in the bill like the testing and licensing of teachers. But this is a time when they should have chosen to show their proven qualifications.

Does not count for anything in the field of education where experience? The teachers who are fleeing this field and resigning because of the fear that they may not qualify in the licensing tests can be cheats and traitors. The nation does not owe them their gratuity or pension. Moreover, the nation has the right to penalise them for the remuneration they have earned so far. They can be likened to runaways and treated accordingly. Because they have pocketed the money for the work they themselves do not consider worth paying for. Can’t a teacher who has a 20 year teaching experience solve a teaching-learning problem better than a novice? Doesn’t a teacher who has taught thousands of children and has brought up a number of his/her own children know child psychology better than a bachelor? Can’t a well-experienced teacher teach better than a student teacher? What a controversy! I think teachers should be proud of the testing and licensing provisions, which is supposed to provide a litmus test. But the question is one of the implementation part being free from all kinds of prejudice, disparity and abuse of authority again. Why are teachers who give students so many tests and grade them afraid of a single test for themselves? Why do they want to pass a test even without taking it? Do they pass only eligible students at their schools?

The teachers are also somewhat responsible for the vicious circle in the Nepali education system. First, there are many such organisations, all of which proclaim that they have been campaigning for professional rights and the security of teachers. I don’t understand whether they want to be powerful by being many in number because as the saying goes ‘theirs is safety in numbers’, or only their top bosses have been gaining advantage over root level members by making them puppets of different political parties. Don’t they know that united they stand, divided they fall? When one organisation raises its voice against malpractice and mismanagement, another organisation is either in sound sleep or campaigns against it.

Secondly, their move seems to be to admit unqualified quacks into this field. Because if one goes to see for oneself, one finds many teachers recruited temporarily by local school management committees. Remember that a headmaster also has a say while forming the committee and reaching decisions at meetings. After some time, teachers’ organisations demand that these teachers be given permanent status. This is also an example of the existing practice. Then what’s wrong in giving a lot of responsibility and authority to a school management committee comprising legitimate guardians under the new provision?

Thirdly, teachers’ organisations in this country don’t go to court in time when a competitive exam is interpreted improperly, retotalling applications are considered and results are published according to education regulations amended during the selection process.

(The author is a teacher)

A surfeit of violence

By Vinay Jha

God has made man after His own image. So says the Bible, and we feel delighted about it. We have been taking pride in considering ourselves the most superior creature, ever made by God, or nature. Non-human creatures, including those that hugely surpass humans in physical dimensions and strength are incapable of changing the environment to suit their needs. They are bound to live under nature’s dictats, but we humans are endowed with the unique faculty of thinking, and with that we are capable of changing our surroundings according to our needs and wishes. We have also been blessed with another distinguishing faculty- working in tandem with our minds to live increasingly satisfying and meaningful life. Despite all these favours done to us, we seem to have failed ourselves and perhaps made our Maker much disappointed.

It is not unnatural that we have differences of opinions, conflicts of interest and parallelisms of perceptions, but that does not mean we should settle scores among us with bullets and bombs, instead of arriving at solutions to our disputes through dialogue and the principle of give-and-take. Bullets and bombs have never solved problems, and they never will. It seems we have learnt no lessons from the last century’s conflagrations. Else, so much of spine-chilling violence - killing and maiming - could not have been edging our civilisation to the brink of extinction. Wherever we are, violence is amidst us. How short-sighted and suicidal! For grabbing the lion’s share of parental property, brothers are at one another’s throats. For a few square feet of land, neighbours draw their swords or pick up their guns to finish one another off. The same is true with rival political parties, and nations. A macabre oneupmanship stalks the world. Apart from excessive greed for lucre and state power, appalling violence has been let loose in the name of religion, language and race.

In the wake of unceasing violence of different sorts, the earth stands smudged with blood and the sky has lost much of its eye-soothing bluish hue. Billowing smoke from the burning bodies of men and cattle, houses and habitats seems to be making the sky distance itself from the earth, ever further up, in fright. The most hapless victims of the all-pervasive violence have been children, women and the old. Whether it is domestic violence, or that of civil war, or violence caused by regional and international military conflicts, it is humanity that has been sullied. Time-tested human values have been pitiably marginalised. Even a moderately sensible person feels as if humanity has been hemmed in from all sides by the ever-expanding territories of insensitivity and hatred.

Haven’t we gotten sick of so much violence yet? Aren’t we all ashamed of ourselves for shedding one another’s blood for nothing substantial or worthwhile? Have we lost all our sense of future and pride in being humans, in being supreme among creatures, in being glorious reflections of our Maker. Don’t we realise even now that we have had enough of violence, and have thereby lowered our image and dignity to an abysmal pit? I, for one, do feel that we have crossed all limits of human decency, and it is high time we started retracing our steps on the positive path without further delay. I also feel that we are definitely a little short of the point of no return and hope million of others around the word have the same feeling. We are capable of stopping all sorts of violence, capable of being loving and lovable, capable of living like mutually cooperative and compassionate members of our race, in harmony with nature.

What we need to do, without further loss of time, is proofread the script of the ongoing drama of our conduct, ill with jealousy, envy, and hatred. We need to shift our priority from the sheer materialism, vulgar consumerism and glamour of exploitative money or state power to spiritually blended development, humility and brotherhood. Only then can we salvage our image, and lend our civilisation a long and healthy lease of continuity.

Women farmers and land reform

By Prativa Subedi

Whoever owns the land also owns the disadvantaged men and women who work on that land.

Agriculture, the only source of livelihood of most of the people of Nepal, is not only an occupation but also a way of life. About 81 percent of the population of Nepal live in rural areas and earn their living from farming, whereas only 6 percent live in urban areas and are involved in non-farming occupations.

Recently, the prime minister declared a new and reform policy. It was decided that each person was allowed to own a certain amount of land according to where they lived. The government’s land reforms system, however, can only be effective if it considers a number of factors.

The government’s land reforms system should try and increase the country’s overall long-term agricultural yield. Currently, we are in a situation where we now import foodgrains whereas just a few years back Nepal was a major exporter of foodgrains. Our farmers are not successfully competing with their foreign competitors, such as Indians. We are now importing rice when we should be exporting it.

If we want to become an exporter of agricultural products we need to develop a strong, sustainable land and agricultural system that gives women the respect and responsibility that they are entitled to.

Nepali women’s participation in the agricultural sector is very high. In our economy women are contributing about 50 percent to the household income while the contributions of men and children are 44 percent and 6 percent respectively. Except for ploughing the fields almost every agricultural activity is the responsibility of the women. Preparing the land for cultivation, carrying fertilizer, seed sowing and planting, weeding, harvesting, sorting grains, selecting and drying seeds- they are all women’s chores.

One of the disadvantages for women is that they are not seen as farmers but just helpers for their male counterparts. Consequently, training on agricultural methods and practices is generally given to men. Considering women’s involvement, if opportunities were provided to them to improve their sill and expertise it would facilitate their work and overall agricultural production would improve.

The small farmer’s development programme was the first programme aimed at giving women control over their agricultural work by enabling them to take out loans on the basis of group guarantee. Twenty-five years later, this idea is now commonplace. Women might be running their own agricultural activities, however, the current legal system prevents them from going one step further. Women should not be limited to only taking out loans to run their agricultural activities on a group guarantee basis instead they should be entitled to be in control of their livelihood, and this can only occur if they have the legal right to own and inherit property.

In fact, if the government wants a fair land reform system, it should work towards making sure that everybody, man and woman, owns the land he or she works on. Currently, the land is not distributed equally as 67 percent of our country’s small farmers own only 17 percent of the land. The situation is similar in India, where 25 percent of the land is shared by 73 percent of the country’s small farmers.

Also, land reform policy can only be effective if the whole process of land use is considered. Land reform does not just involve dividing the land like you’d slice up a cake. Land reform policy should be comprehensive and consider many things, including education, water management issues, such as irrigation, sustainability concepts and other new agricultural practices.

Currently, our country’s agricultural practices are poor and unsustainable. Soil management is poor, irrigation systems are not working properly, deforestation continues, and ultimately harmful chemical products are used. This is despite the fact that agricultural sector is receiving more attention and investment than any other sector in Nepal. This is because the money was spent in an inappropriate way on building and vehicles.

The best way to bring about appropriate land use is to equally train everybody. The reason for Japan’s successful land reform system, for example, was that it introduced appropriate technology and properly trained the people who were working on the land so that they could produce more.

Appropriate land reform can only occur if all land users have easy access to capital and facilities. Currently, access to these essential ingredients is difficult. I will give two examples. First, after the restoration of democracy the concept of economic liberalisation was introduced. Many banks opened up in the cities, but that didn’t help the rural farmers, particularly women. For women, access to banking system is very difficult for they do not have the education and exposure to look after their own finances.

Secondly, although, various agricultural agencies have been set up in every district to help the agricultural community, many small farmers face many serious problems. Many of the agricultural agencies are located too far to ensure farmers’ access.

The government needs to consider many factors if it wants to introduce a practical Land Act. It needs to implement a system that grants the people, who work on the land, the right to own the land, and that system should give women the same rights as men. The government’s Ninth Plan (1997-2002) says that it will use a comprehensive and holistic approach to land use to increase productivity, eliminate poverty and guarantee food security. This has not happened. The government should bear this in mind while implementing the Land Act and ensure that we can use and own our land in a sustainable fashion for many years to come.