Talking trade talks

Nepal-India trade talks in Delhi over the weekend have floundered despite assurances by Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh during a recent visit here that matters would basically be smooth sailing. The joint-secretary level talks ended without any consensus. Talks will resume within the next month at secretary level. The Indian side will then put forth demands in writing for inclusion of provisions on rules of origin and export surge. It was the question of export surge that helped derail the previous round of trade talks, held in Kathmandu in August. This issue has now come up again, and this time India has also brought in the question of rules of origin. Although this is not the first time rules of origin has figured in mutual trade discussions, it is now being used to up the ante. In the past the Indians have invoked rules of origin to scuttle Kodak operations out of Nepal. Rules of origin, like the so called cross border unauthorized trade, is turning into a stock in trade for needling Nepal needlessly, and these will now be joined by export surge. Indians, with their greater intellectual resources, will always find some excuse or other to keep Nepal at the receiving end. One recalls well the way India has tried to turn the tables on us over the question of trade deficit. With India’s immensely larger industrial base Nepal has always been a net importer of Indian products. But the Indians would have us naively believe that the deficit favours Nepal and cited figures to prove their point, whatever the authenticity of those numbers. Against this lopsided picture, a point that has clearly emerged at the just ended Delhi talks is that at the end of the day matters have to be decided at the political level. It is there that the real give and take between Nepal and India takes place, with Nepal invariably doing most of the giving. Everything else flows from this.

That aside, part of the problem of trade between Nepal and India will resolve itself one way or another once we join the World Trade Organisation. Whatever the pros and cons of Nepal entering into that global arrangement, one thing it should do is help put our foreign trade within an international framework. India will no longer be able to impose all its views on a lone Nepal. Part of the solution lies in better-book keeping on our part so that trade figures are in black and white that India cannot be dismissive about. That’s for the long term. For the problem at hand, what is Nepal going to tell India when secretary level talks take place next month? We will have to do better than keep harping on the spirit of the trade treaty between the two countries. The Indians are quite capable of jettisoning any such spirit when it suits their purpose. For example, suggestions proffered by the Joint Economic Council of the Confederation of Indian Industries and the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry were given short shrift in Delhi the other day. A more realistic approach might be to face the export surge issue head on, see how the notion might cut both ways, show India how Indian goods and produce has damaged parallel sectors of our economy, and decide if after all this the Indians still have a case. The idea is to get down to the nitty gritty rather than stick to lofty principles alone.

Commitment against terrorism

By Rajat Sharma

The first war of this century, is what American President George W Bush called the horrifying attacks against the United States on September 11. The USA has declared war against terrorists. After identification of those involved in the heinous attacks, America has come to the conclusion that Osama bin Laden, a noted enemy of America was involved. Although, bin Laden is denying the American charges, America plans to move Afghanistan, as Laden is reported to have been sheltered by the Taliban. The Taliban has declared for a holy war or "jehad" against America. To save its superpower image, America has been compelled to retaliate against fundamentalist Muslims either by attacking Afghanistan or some other target. It seems, another war is round the corner. World leaders everywhere were quick in condemning the attacks and Nepal too expressed deep shock.

Now, the repercussions are just starting to be felt in the rest of the world. There is no doubt the attack has changed the mentality and life of people in the US, but also importantly, US foreign policy is also at an important junction. Difficult decisions will have to be made. It has been learnt that Pakistan will provide the United States use of only two of its air bases, rather than the unlimited access to its military facilities that had been requested. This, along with the cooperation extended to the US by the Central Asian states bordering Afghanistan, has resulted in the US changing its military strategy.

First of all, US diplomats all across the world must increase what can be called their "diplomatic relations" with people who can provide them information. They cannot afford to isolate themselves. Perhaps the US government will have to send more personnel to its missions in different parts of the globe and open offices where there were none, if they are to be successful in their diplomatic efforts to fight terrorism.

Some opined that places where there is a large presence of Muslims would naturally be very important. However, the question of whether US diplomatic and military personnel can penetrate such places or not is another matter. For example, there is no chance of US officials going directly to countries like Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Afghanistan. So countries, which border or are close to these nations, will be of strategic importance.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has reiterated his government’s commitment against terrorism. Replying to queries of lawmakers in the House of Representatives recently, Premier Deuba said the government would provide full support to the US government in its campaign against terrorism. Nepal is part of the global coalition against terrorism, he declared. Premier Deuba’s response has come in the aftermath of ten left parties accusing the government of deviating from its foreign policy by offering to allow the US Nepalese airspace and refuelling facilities in its proposed attack against Afghanistan.

A group of ten left parties, including the main opposition Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML), has flayed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s recent statement that Nepal would allow its airspace and refuelling facilities to the US government in its anti-terrorist campaign. A statement issued by the group after their meeting recently said the decision was against Nepal’s policy of non-alignment and insisted that Nepal should not even be indirectly involved in the conflict. Despite acknowledging that terrorism has emerge as a terrible problem all over the world, they demanded that the PM withdraw his statement.

Recent news clippings show that Nepal too could be of great importance for US diplomatic activity. India and Pakistan may have their own importance, but Nepal is no less strategic, considering several advantages it has. First of all Nepal is considered a safe haven, by almost all nationals, including Muslims who don’t have to fear any religious or hate attacks. She has easy international air connections. Nepal has friendly diplomatic relations with all nations in this region, including China, India and Pakistan.

Against this backdrop, Nepalese officials must help US government in any way they can. This is not only for any advantages that countries like Nepal, India or Pakistan may gain. It is also for the cause of humanity. Terrorism must not be allowed to flourish in any part of the world, be it in superpower America or in a third world nation like Nepal. Both just can’t afford the losses.

It has to be understood that when mad men in the guise of nationalism or religion, go on a one-way trip to destruction, not even the best of defences can stop them. This has been proved in the attack in the US. The Pentagon is the heart of US military activity, but it was easily targeted and US military might could do nothing to prevent it. But of course, the present attacks against the US too cannot be avenged by any single military retaliation. The US will have to make sustained intelligence efforts before it can make indecisive military attacks. For such a long-term programme, US missions all over the world will have to work harder and win more friends, if they are to get correct intelligence reports.

That Nepal is ready to help, could be seen from the statements given by the PM.

Treasuring my letters

By Vidwata Bahety

There are a few things that we treasure in life, which in materialistic sense may have no value at all. But the amount of significance that we attach to them is ineffable. Among few such things are letters.

A letter is not just any piece of paper in which someone scribbled something in a hurry. Rather it is a symbol of love and concern of the sender. No doubt, an affectionately sent letter becomes a precious memento for the recipient.

But thanks to the electronic mailing there is hardly anybody who would go through the long procedure of hunting for a piece of paper, finding a pen next and then writing down. When all you need to do is type a mail and click on the "send" button. And there it goes!

So, like most of us I also have taken to sending e-mails than writing letters impressed by the fast and trendy means of communication. Despite the hi-tech e-mails the letters still continue to hold the greatest charm on me.

I can’t explain the amount of joy I feel when my eager hands hold a letter .It certainly exceeds the pleasure that I get when the mailer daemon announces a "new mail." Reading e-mail and reading a letter that you receive after a long and patient wait are certainly two different things. A letter is real unlike the virtual e-mail. The warmth and sincerity in a hand written letter can’t be replaced by the unfeeling typed text of an e-mail.

All those things that could appear to be a cumbersome process involved in sending a letter is actually a thrilling episode. As you enclose the letter you wrote so fondly in an envelope you just don’t mechanically address it and glue the stamp on it. You quite seal it with love and until you drop it in the letterbox haven’t you been thinking of the one you are sending the letter to? Doesn’t this make it so wonderful?

Writing letters started early as a hobby. Though not a very timid girl but writing came easier than talking. I had pen pals from all around the world. And among the few who wrote regularly was one from South Africa. She was a sport of a person with a colourful way of writing. Her letter filled with activities and decorated with vibrant colours, so well gave a cheery picture of her. I remember the excitement that came over every time I got her letter.

In times of loneliness when I pick up a letter that lies carefully piled up in my treasure box and read my eyes twinkle with joy. I can visualize the sender who wrote the letter from miles away. In such moments I experience the same closeness as if we were together again.

There is a small piece of paper creased into many folds that I have smoothed out .The paper perhaps torn casually from a notebook, is a piece of writing that I cherish. It is a small note sent by my friend. Whenever I read those lines, which talk of stars that I, dream of reaching someday I relish each word. And each time I hold that paper I can feel the touch of his hand telling me that I can make my dreams come true. My dear, this letter outweighs all the riches of this world.

SLC result, more questions than answers

By Rishi Bhakta Gautam

If we look at the history of the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) Examination, it has nearly passed seven decades and undergone several changes for achieving validity and reliability and overall for its development. In the course of this, beginning this year, students were tested by implementing some reforms. The students appeared for 800 full marks; different questions were prepared for students of different developmental regions; parallel sets were administered within a classroom; oral tests of twenty marks in English and internal and external practical examinations for optional computer science, carrying twenty marks were also introduced. Unlike the previous years, the scoring was completed while staying at certain evaluation centres.

Last July, the focal curiosity of several students, parents, teachers and other ordinary people was fulfilled, though after delay. The result showed that 31.62 percent of the regular students and 25.3 back students were able to succeed. In comparison to last year, 14 percent more students seemed unlucky.

It is obvious that an examination like the SLC has both intrinsic and extrinsic value running from teaching learning activities to policy formation in education. Students, parents, teachers, administration, syllabus designers, course book writers, etc cannot remain untouchable by the results.

In the context of Nepal, the SLC means permission to go for further education. Students, by evaluating their own effort, can shape their future. The feedback provided can be a guideline.

As examination controller Dr Shah Dev Bhatta said that the main reason for decline in results over last year is of the new kind of quality oriented examination and the addition of one hundred marks. Are these the sole reasons? What other factors are responsible? Why did more students fail in English and Mathematics?

Why were parallel exam sets administered? According to Dr Bhatta the reason behind this was to discourage cheating which is very good, but aren’t there any ways to meet the purpose other than administering parallel sets? If it is only for this purpose why cause tension to both teachers and students instead of tightening the invigilating system and other security? Theoretically, parallel sets are used to achieve reliability of the test. The assumption in using parallel sets is that two versions of a particular test can be constructed which must be identical in the nature of their sampling, difficulty, length, rubric etc and these forms are to be administered to the same groups in order to find out the co-relation. Who is to judge the difficulty level of the sets? The parallel sets were criticised for not having the same difficulty level.

A paper was presented by students of the Education Faculty, TU (Rishi & Balaram) who pointed out that parallel sets No. 501B1 and 501B2 in English are not of equal difficulty level. Dr Tirtha Raj Khaniya, a senior educationist who did his Phd in the SLC examination, stated such kinds of unequal parallel sets really bring disaster. Is not this a prime cause of the poor result? What step will be forwarded in the coming year? Is the government about to take these comments seriously or while they remain only on paper? The comments made by educationists and other related persons should be taken into account in order to make improvements for the coming years. If a less pass percent means better examination system, how can people believe that one day there will not be zero percent pass?

Giving oral (listening and speaking) tests in English is a great endeavour which no other SAARC country has practised yet. But how suitable is it in the context of Nepal where most of the schools have no access even to textbooks on time? How often do they practice these skills in the classroom? Have they ever heard an English cassette? Are the teachers able to speak English correctly? Then in this context who is to be blamed? Students? Teachers? Parents? Educationists? Course book designers and supplementary materials constructors?

The new system of scoring is unquestionable in itself. But could it remain untouched by vice? There were 37 evaluation centres, including examination control offices, where 250 examiners could be accommodated each and they were paid Rs 9 for each copy. It was also found that 126 copies were examined by a single examiner in a day in order to earn more. Is this not a matter for disgust? How could a copy be examined in five minutes? Not only this, crude teachers who have no experience of examining test examination copies were allowed to examine SLC copies. The funniest aspect is that even school supervisors (MaViNi) and resource persons who had no teaching experience at all did not leave the golden opportunity of earning by examining the copies. What kind of quality oriented examination is this? There must be some criteria for checking copies. Are they responsible for the poor result or not? If not, then who?

In the context of Nepal, the schools suffer from nearly daily bandhs and strikes. No educationist denies that schools remain open hardly 100 days but the courses are designed for more than 150 days. In this situation, is there any possibility to cover the whole course? On the one hand, depending on guide and guess papers might be one reason for more students failing and on the other, the paradox is what would be the result if they do not depend on such materials to cover the whole course by themselves? How can we be sure, the result will improved in coming years without improving the prevailing situation of the schools, no mater whether teachers and students become familiar with the new curriculum? The government must have clear vision about that. Teachers should be given trainings according to the changing system. Students should also be made aware of such changes.

Still, we have parents who are reluctant to invest in education because of the uncertainty of returns. What effect does such a result have on them? What impact does it have on the overall literacy percentage? It does not mean that they should all be passed. But what the government can do is to run special courses or to provide vocational education for them in order to make them self-dependent. Otherwise, how can we believe that the trend of importing illegal certificates will not increase?

If the government could think about these and several other facts in order to bring quality in the examination system the condition is not hopeless. Special care must be given for the secrecy of the question paper. Otherwise, it cannot be said that the same problem of postponing the exam because of questions leaking out will not be repeated again.

Development-wise question papers, and coding and decoding systems can be taken as a very genuine step which reduced unhealthy competition among schools. Looking at the result, of the places which were accused of excessive cheating, parallel sets have become an effective means to discourage the habit but it is not the sole purpose in introducing parallel sets.