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Kathmandu Friday October 05, 2001 Ashwin 19, 2058.
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Overhauling education
With the proposal for a licensing mechanism
for teachers gaining ground on the parliamentary floor, there is reason to be optimistic
that the malicious fake certificate racket will be ended, at least at public schools. But
the question that lingers is over implementation. Innumerable policies, with promising
tags, have come and gone. Some have died a natural death, while others got aborted midway.
Now if everything goes as expected, and if there is no unscrupulous intervention,
thousands of teachers with fake education certificates will be shunted out of public
schools. Informal estimates put the number of dubious academic certificate holders at
thirty percent. The proposed licensing mechanism requires about half a million public
school teachers to sit for tough exams. That is not all. Plans are also afoot to make
academic institutions a non-political zone, and to provide free education at public
schools up to primary level only. But talk of non-politicization has to be taken with a
pinch of salt. More than anybody else, the major political parties must be held
accountable for the dirty politics at academic institutions. If the seventh amendment to
the Education Act gets enacted, the education sector, which has been receiving shabby
treatment over the decades, will be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
That education is a great socializing
instrument needs no emphasis, but unfortunately, this sector has been treated with disdain
for long. Plagued by ills, the education sector wobbled in uncertainty and the perceived
threat of violence. Until recently, the All Nepal National Independent Students’
Union (ANNISU-Revolutionary) had turned academic institutions into a victim of their wrath
against the establishment. Terror reigned at schools and colleges. The road to normalcy
was indeed very difficult. With security threats still looming, it will be no exaggeration
to say that academic institutions are at risk of manipulation and violence. In those days
of terror, the government appeared to be far away, somewhere in Singha Durbar, watching
but not acting, and the law enforcing agencies went limp. It was only after the deployment
of army personnel and the infamous raid on college hostels that the government was able to
restore peace in the education sector. Security concerns aside, the quality of education
suffered due to unqualified teachers with dubious credentials. No wonder the pass
percentage for SLC exams has been grievously low. And many who pass through the Iron Gate
are likely to flunk at higher secondary or intermediate levels. Given such a pathetic
situation, the amendment Bill must be enacted without delay. Even a single day counts as
it affects hundreds of thousands of students.
The proposed plan to restrict free education
is likely to draw flak, given the low per capita income of the majority of Nepalis and low
literacy rate. Rather than facing the irregularities of the past, it is better if public
schools charge nominal fees and offer scholarships to the poor and needy. With the fees
should come proper infrastructure, qualified teachers, and a better learning atmosphere.
Just renaming schools won’t help. The government must come up with distinct policies
for the newly named "community schools", and do its best to bridge the widening
chasm between public and private schools. Another proposal is bringing private schools
under the tax net. This is undoubtedly commendable, but one cannot help suspicions of
under the counter dealings. This is no figment of perverse imagination but a product of
prevalent culture. With the parliamentary session drawing to a close and a number of
crucial bills still in queue, it would indeed be wonderful if the Education Bill gets
enacted immediately.
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