Act Responsibly

THE press, often referred to as the Fourth Estate, plays a pivotal role in consolidating democracy and in catering to the information needs of the people. The role of the press in a backward country like Nepal is all the more important. Had it not been for the uncompromising press, Nepal’s transition to a democratic set up from the totalitarian rule would still remain a distant dream. The press has often been hailed for carrying out the role of a watchdog and cautioning against the anomalies and aberrations in the society. After the declaration of the state of emergency, people were skeptical whether the press would be deprived of the freedom and the rights to inform them. Contrary to the assumptions the government has not curtailed the freedom of the press. The Prime Minister has gone on the record saying that the government has no intentions to control the press. As committed by the Prime Minister, the press has been enjoying the freedom despite the state of emergency. Reiterating the government’s pledge for an unfettered press, Minister for Information and Communications Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta said recently that the government would not suppress the press to justify the relevance of the state of emergency in the country. He said that the government respects the sentiment of the Fourth Estate and will not infringe on its rights. Assuring the media persons that they will be allowed to work freely, the Minister further pointed out that action against the media persons should not be taken without issuing a prior notice or letter. The Minister’s statement amply speaks of the government’s earnestness to have a free press even during the emergency rule. The part, which needs to be realised earnestly, is that while enjoying the rights, the press should be well aware about its responsibilities. As rights and responsibilities go together, the press should not publish materials that give way to social conflict and tension at a time when the country is passing through a critical juncture. The press should not abuse its rights and should always ensure that correct information is being catered to the people. Given the fact that the press acts responsibly, the government has repeatedly stated that it is not for curtailing its rights. The press and the government hence must have working unity in order to safeguard the people’s right to information.

For Improving Education System

THE Government is spending a hefty Rs. 29 billion under the second phase of the Basic and Primary Education Programme (BPEP II) over a five-year period until 2003/2004 to improve the quality of education given to children aged 6-10. BPEP II seeks to improve enrollment, retention and completion rate of primary school children, besides improving learning achievement and strengthening the managerial capacity at the national, district and community levels. The BPEP, as a project, was first launched in 1992 to address the problems of high dropout rates and student repeaters in Grade One due to the enrollment of underage children who normally accompany elder siblings to school. Initially it covered just 40 districts. Since 1999, the BPEP has been extended to all the 75 districts of the Kingdom. A mid-term review shows that there has been improvement in the access of children to education in the past two years. The Net Enrollment Ratio (NER) has jumped from 70.5 per cent in 1998 to 80.4 per cent in 2000 and the gross enrollment ratio stands at nearly 120 per cent in 2000. Despite the highly encouraging figures, the report made available by the Department of Education notes that "there are consistently low performing districts in terms of girls’ enrollment, and paradoxically most of these are located in the Terai region, which enjoys greater ease of transportation and communication." And the participation of disadvantaged groups continues to be low.

The success of the BPEP will rest on a number of factors, which by now are well known. Improving learning achievement will hinge on improving the existing physical infrastructure in the schools. Students, especially young siblings, don’t learn much in classrooms that are dimly lit, are dirty and have little or no furniture. Overcrowding is a big problem in Class One largely due to the presence of underage children, which is said to be as high as 20 per cent. Most of the teachers in government schools are not trained and are poorly motivated. And adding insult to injury is the presence of a large number of teachers with fake certificates. Narrowing the gender gap in school enrollment also calls for paying attention to things that seem trivial, such as recruiting female teachers and having separate bathrooms for girls. And early interventions, such as pre-primary schools, will be necessary to not only improve the completion rate of primary school, but also to make a lasting impact on the development of children.