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| Kathmandu, Tuesday December 24, 2002 Paush 09, 2059. |
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Stealing the thunder
It is a matter of satisfaction that the
prolonged closure of schools and other educational institutions because of the
Maoist-aligned students’ demands has come, albeit temporarily, to an end. Thousands
of children who were deprived of their right to go to school are now back where they
should have been all along. The Maoist-aligned students had put forth a number of demands
before the government and the privately run schools. Now that PABSON, the association of
privately run schools, has agreed to slash tuition fees upto 25 percent and not to impose
what can only be called unjustified admission fees each year, the schools are to resume
classes. The Maoist-aligned students’ organisation that calls itself All Nepal
National Independent Student Union (ANNISU-Revolutionary) has effectively stolen the
thunder from under the nose of the government, for quite a number of demands that ANNISU-R
made were something that the government should have effectively implemented even before
the Maoist-aligned students made the demands. Where, in the world, would a parent or
guardian go on paying admission fees to the same school year after year? The admission
fees should have been a one-time affair. The same argument goes for the tuition fees.
Tuition fees must commensurate with the education services and facilities that an
educational institution provides to the student. In all these, both the government and
PABSON have been mute witnesses to injustice done to the parents and guardians who have
had to pay exorbitant fees. And since the fees were exorbitant, not only were the poor
among the people unable to afford to send their children to school but also many of those
who send them could have to resort to unfair means to earn the income needed to send their
children to such schools.
Indeed, the government, which should be
committed to good governance, is to blame for tolerating anarchy in the educational
sector. But blame must also be put on those who run the schools, including PABSON, the
so-called civil society and country’s intellectuals who in the past allowed parents
and guardians to be fleeced. Since education is one of the basic needs of the people, good
governance must ensure that anarchy in any form does not creep into this vital sector.
Anarchy not merely in the form of student indiscipline, but also in the form of school
administration and fee structures must be eliminated. In a country where almost half of
the population live below the absolute poverty line and the rest are just able to make
their ends meet, educational expenses must not be taxing, and this is realized by all.
Nonetheless, schools were allowed to charge unjustified amounts and ANNISU-R was able to
break this practice to some extent. But even then, the government, parents and civil
society must ensure that the decision now taken is properly implemented. Though ANNISU-R
was able to steal the thunder, their method to achieve their goal is less than welcome,
and must be discouraged. Bombs have exploded on school premises, which no doubt created
trauma among the young students. All extremist and violent methods must be given up.
Unless ANNISU-R is able to adopt a more humane and moderate means, they will almost
certainly be isolated. No matter what populist cause they come up with, they will find
themselves cut off from the mainstream. |
