Prevent epidemic

Gastro-enteritis, a preventable disease that hits rural areas during summer, has already claimed over one hundred lives in Doti and Bajhang districts. The disease has affected the entire far-western region of the country. But this is not the first time that a preventable disease like gastro-enteritis has claimed so many lives in just one month. Despite all hazards, the government has not taken any measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease, particularly in the districts that are economically backward. Unfortunately, gastro-enteritis hits the western and Terai regions hard, claiming hundreds of lives every summer. As a result, villagers, especially in remote parts of the country, have had to undergo economic hardships. This apart, mysterious and unknown diseases also finish off hundreds of people, mostly poor women and children. Hunger and poverty are other regular evils that surface along with the killer diseases.

The report states that 57, including newly born infants, succumbed to the communicable disease that has gripped the Bajhang district since last month. Here, the death toll could go higher than what has been reported as most of the areas are inaccessible by roads. Besides, there are no health centres, which can provide immediate relief to local residents and, at the same time, contain the disease. It should be recalled here that last year, more than one hundred people died of measles and gastro-enteritis. Simlarly, a similar disease and food shortage claimed over three hundred lives in Kalikot, Humla, Jumla and Dolpa. This happened due to "criminal negligence" on the part of the government. The government hardly stepped in to combat the disease, and as a result, the disease spread to other adjoining districts. The same thing seems to be happening this year too at Doti and Bajhang districts.

The government has allocated about five percent of its annual budget for the health sector. The entire money is being either misused for personal benefit or is being used for curative measures only. As a result, the government has been unable to carry out any research work on perennial diseases or to prevent the onslaught of seasonal diseases. This is one of the main reasons why the government has been unable to prevent such an epidemic. Secondly, poor farmers die after drinking contaminated water, due to poor sanitation and lack of medical personnel in local health centres. The government has ignored public health at a cost to poor people. It has never taken it seriously. Going by past records, the new budget too would not be any different. But much depends on allocating an adequate budget to improve the health sector along with feasible measures to combat diseases that needlessly kill hundreds of innocent people every year.

Economic power configuration in Asia

By Dr Danda Pani Paudel 

Among the continents of the world, the Asian continent is plagued with a divergent level of economic development. In the early 1970s with an exception of Japan most of the Asian economies were at the primitive stage of development. By then, some small but naturally resource rich countries summoned aggressive but positive attitude in various economic sub-sectors, and as a result, over the time they became popularly recognized as Asian Tigers. As such, the newly emerging economies like Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong geared up as a sample representation of development process from Asian region.

During the 1980s, some other Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia also followed it to some extent to replicate the Tigers’ friendly model of development and became partly successful in their endeavours The emerging economies had thus been successful in their development efforts among other things, although by and large very low compared to developed countries in the context of human resource development. That is to say, apart from quantitative growth of the economy, the social indicators such as the quality education and training on technical know how for the people are to be considered as equally significant factors for overall development. However, in the present context such countries need to refocuse on further development through the adoption of endogenous technology in place of imported technology to further and sustain economic development in the medium and long run.

The largest populous countries in the world namely China and India with the divergent political philosophy did prefer closed economy model till the late 1980s. During that regime, both of them had been unable to show significant development message to the outside world. As a contagious effect of the global liberalization, China and India realized the advantage of choosing the substitute of their closed model.

Thus, their economies have been led to sufficiently liberalized and opened ones during the 1990s, and as a result of the jumbo economic size and potential opportunity, and moreover, with higher credibility both non-residential and foreigners were attracted to invest in these big territories. Outside investors, by and large, have been attracted with the benefit of large scale of operation, cheap labour force, big domestic market and so on. Currently, China has domination in foreign direct investment (FDI) while India has been following gradual aggression in FDI flows and developed tremendously in the field of information technology (IT) in a short time span.

Against this backdrop, small but emerging countries, including Asian Tigers may encounter difficulty in competing with China for FDI and with India in IT promotion due mainly to their large scale of operation. As in other parts of the world, there are some regional blocks associated with a view to developing regional cooperation in Asia. Nevertheless, the objective of such blocks in the medium and long-term would be to converge in major macroeconomic indicative criterion. The ASEAN and SAARC are some examples of regional associations, which have been established with the above motto even though the convergence criteria among the member countries are yet to be achieved. In other words, the level of development as well as the overall indicators are uneven. However, such associations have been found to be a plausible forum in sharing experience in various fields.

If one looks at the global economic power configuration, the USA, Euro and Japan together contribute a major share to the principal economic fundamentals. Similarly, in the Asian context it is but natural that Japan, China and India together occupy the bulk share in major economic criteria. However, one can easily argue that even though they share the economic power configuration in Asia they are not in a comparative position, that is laudable, in meeting the convergence criteria.

Time and again, the academicians have been pursuing and appealing to create the feasibility / potentiality of the Asian Monetary Fund for the sake of monetary and economic integration, and thereby, for the ultimate object of common currency inside Asia. However, in a divergence context of economic development, a common anchor-type criterion to be applied for establishing a common platform is not obviously feasible even though it is desirable.

Unlike the Euro-Asian countries, even in the same regional block, are much diversified for being able to converge in a defined condition. Since China, Hong Kong and Macao are being working out in the process of using common currency, the other countries, which are within the same regional block, might also have to think and rationalize this issue. There are academic worries that if the Asian big economies as mentioned above would like to show economic power and shake hands for adopting a common currency regime; the domination / hegemony of this new economic power will create a tough and bitter environment for small but developing countries in Asia.

It is but true that in the environment of the integrated world due to free movement of capital across the countries, globalization, faster development of information technology and other technology as well, the Asian countries would have to think for monetary union and/or common currency. It is, therefore, as of experimental basis either the big three economies or ASEAN or SAARC, whoever has a higher chance to achieve the convergence criteria in a comparatively shorter time period, may go for the common currency, the Asian Dollar, for which other Asian countries will take part in the future.

Prior to adopting the common currency system, a group of countries would require going through a series of restructuring mechanism. They would have to set the infra-structural mechanism of adopting decentralization of management, regular monitoring for convergence and surveillance, currency area or club with common anchor and choice of a particular currency unit to create the environment of convergence. The Asian countries would also have to develop endogenous technology, qualitative information technology, internet means of communication together with the emphasis on attracting long term FDI rather than short term foreign loan to sustain economic development and ultimately, to go for Asian integration.

SLC tantrums

By Padma Pd Khatiwada 

Recently, the Kantipur daily carried the news objecting to paper checking of the SLC examination at Paropakar High School. The news was read carefully by all the quarters concerned - the senior personalities and the students.

The news story should have really aroused doubt or worry among the authorities concerned about the new system of the SLC examination. I’m afraid the examinees, who are the ‘pseudo teenagers’ and have already repeated their 3rd-4th or more years of SLC, are very happy for it may give a glimmer of hope for getting good "grace" marks by the new examiners. And those who are very sincere examinees and have attempted their best to produce a good result are, of course, very despondent that such style of paper checking would certainly ravage their years of labour.

Among the personalities are also the implementers who have, no doubt, read the news of carelessness of the paper checking and have not made a single comment on it yet. After all we should not ignore the reality that the implementers, in the sensitive matters of making new curriculum, designing textbooks in due regard to the curriculum and holding the SLC examination as per the curriculum objectives, have attended seminars without much homework and so have reached a decision without any systematic plan. One of the examples of it can be given that the model questions of some subjects for the old syllabus had been changed which would be effective just for a year. The change was such which was neither based on the old model questions nor the new ones. It seemed it was one such a decision made without any agenda, pre-determined by the concerned personnel. Poor students of that batch! Many of the schools at that time had to send their students in the SLC examination hall, especially in remote areas, without any practice in the then new model question.

Such a decision had a idespread ramification in the overall secondary schools of Nepal and many students failed in the subjects such as in English, mathematics, science and others. The authorities, who themselves made changes in the overall curriculum of the secondary education, are now raising the next issue of revising and rechanging it. And the third example is that there was no crystal clear circular, throughout the country on what to do with the English subject regarding the exempted group examinees. So there were mis-matched answer sheets. Some attempted questions from the old course, while others did from the old curriculum-new model. But many were found attempting from both models, choosing the easier questions.

Another similar decision is the provision of paper checking in a specified place in the presence of head examiners and other officials. It was not an easy challenge. The reality was that the examiners had earned more with the business of paper checking in previous years. So the decision was made to make change in it but it was good just in words. No barrier was there- whether the examiners were the real teachers or and, qualified or otherwise. It hardly made any difference. Those who entered the hall, where paper checking was taking place, could easily get that chance.

Another important question arises here whether the implementers have to play a role as monitors and evaluators to overcome such negligence or not? Paper checking was done in such hocus-pocus, without any kind of monitoring and evaluation. There are drastic changes in the subject matters of the new curriculum of the secondary education in each subject. The curriculum of each subject has been designed to bridge the gap between the texts of secondary and higher secondary curriculae. The validity and reliability of the secondary education lies not only in designing a good and effective curriculum, teaching by the experienced teachers and setting standard questions but also in checking papers by experienced and well-qualified examiners.

Women’s property rights still gathering dust

By Mona Shrestha Adhikari

If only Nepalese women were granted equal status in accessing ancestral property, poverty would not have troubled many families. Women too have many desires like getting the best education, travelling, being an entrepreneur, and thereby, earning fame and recognition in society. Unfortunately, however, in this patriarchal society, she has to sacrifice all her dreams. Discriminatory laws add fuel to already burning fire.

At present, women’s property right is one of the most hotly debated issues in the social and academic circles. It is a pity that the lawmakers are unable to identify what is wrong and what is right. Some of them have even played double roles. Probably a gender sensitisation programme is what these lawmakers need. Women are considered second class citizens in many areas, one of them being property rights. There is no doubt that this discrimination is what hinders women's socio-economic and political status.

Women’s property rights issue has become truly a multifaceted affair. Many blame the feminist movement, which is catching up in our society. They tend to view this movement as something coming out of blue and pretend as if they are not unaware of the long-standing discrimination in our society, which is a by-product of male domination.

Furthermore, there are some men and women who say education hits the priority list for women’s development, failing to understand that education and property are both essential for the empowerment of women. Trying to mislead the innocent women folks by diverting property rights issue, and thereby, advocating for other essentials is neither logical nor ethical. Both education and property are equally important to uplift women.

If property is necessary for man, so is it for woman. Those who feel that women do not need property seem to overemphasise the difference between a man and a woman. It has been proven now that there is simply nothing that a woman cannot do in comparison to her male counterpart except for the physical and biological fact that a woman cannot produce semen. Likewise, a man does not menstruate, carry a foetus in his womb, give birth to a child and breast-feed. Apart from these biological differences, there is no other difference between what a man and a woman can do.

A look at the legal status on women reveals the following scenario:

The preamble to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 2047 (1990), states that, it guarantees basic human rights to every citizen of Nepal. Article 11 of the constitution provides the right to equality. It states that "all citizens shall be equal before the law." The Constitution also guarantees non-discrimination in the equal protection of laws, in the application of general laws and in the determination of remuneration of men and women for the same work.

Basically, formal equality is what is stated in our Constitution. While going through these provisions, it is hard to believe that women are still dxiscriminated in our society. Interestingly, in 1991 Nepal ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Unfortunately, at present there are 118 provisions and 67 schedules in our legal system, which discriminate women.

Section 1 of the Chapter on "Partition" of The National Code 2020 BS excludes woman from due share in the parental property. Section 16 mentions that only unmarried daughters above the age of 35 years can get ancestral property as their share of partition. But the catch is that she should return that property after deducting her marriage expenses once she gets married. On the contrary, a son, the moment he is born has the legal right on the ancestral property and is not required to return the property upon getting married. According to section 10 (a) of the chapter on Partition of Property, a wife is entitled to a share in her husband’s property after attaining 35 years of age or completing 15 years of married life. A wife can legally claim a share in the property only if her husband fails to provide food and shelter. This explains the fallacy that lies within our legal system. So much so that this provision is against the spirit of our Constitution. And many of us prefer to remain oblivious of this serious lacuna.

Likewise, Section 2 of the Women’s Exclusive Property prohibits the women from disposing parental immovable property on the whole. She can do so only on half of the property. For the remaining half, she needs to obtain consent from a male guardian. On the contrary, man can dispose the entire property under his possession acquired from his parents without any legal hassles whatsoever. Furthermore, Section 26(a) of the Land Act 1964 allows a daughter to obtain the tenancy only if she remains unmarried until the age of 35, where a son can be eligible to such tenancy fee as soon as he is born.

It is high time that such discriminatory legal provisions of Nepal be amended. Effort to table the bill to amend the National Code, 2020 (Muluki Ain, 2020 Lai Samsodhan Garna Baneko Bidheyak) which includes, inter alia, amendment to existing property rights regime is a welcome move.

In order to see the improvement in the socio-economic as well as political conditions of women in our society, our lawmakers should probably think of just reversing the entire discriminatory laws against women and conditioning men to the existing discrimination women are facing in our society. They should let this trend continue for at least two decades. Not all our parliamentarians will remain alive to see the change, but those who remain alive will see the metamorphosis in the status of both the sexes. Probably, this would enlighten the lawmakers and make them realise the plight of the Nepalese women in our patriarchal society.

If the upcoming session of the parliament too fails to address this serious problem, and lawmakers as well as people in power continue to sideline the issue, it will take ages for this unfinished agenda to take a concrete shape. And the condition of the Nepalese women will further deteriorate.