A Bhutanese Refugee Update
No Time To Relax Guard

HERE a little more than a month ago, this commentator had taken a look at the fine print of the Bhutanese regueee verification agreement that came about at the 10th Nepal-Bhutan ministerial meeting that concluded on 27 December 2000.

CAMP VISIT: Now that the first step of that process has been taken – in the shape of a two-day visit to the seven refugee camps in Jhapa and Morang districts by ten members of the Joint Verification Team (JVT) – it may now be apt to attempt an update on the Bhutanese refugee and related questions.

Firstly, that the JVT actually began work, albeit the initial gambit of what will doubtlessly be a competitive chess game between the two sides represented on the JVT, is to be commended.

What also deserves welcome notice are media reports indicating that the atmosphere between the two sides, led respectively by Usha Nepal and Dr Sonam Tenzin, was frank and cordial.

Also worthy of note is that there is now agreement that the actual process of verification – as distinct from a familiarisation visit to the refugee camps by the JVT – will begin at one camp in the third week of this month.

Interestingly, however, the JVT, for reasons best known to its members, have chosen for now not to reveal which of the seven refugee camps they will commence the actual verification process.

At this stage, it will be germane to recall that, as per the refugee verification agreement, the process is to begin – initially – only at one of the seven refugee camps.

At this juncture, the JVT is tight-lipped even over the location of its field office which, according to news reports, may be Birtamod or Damak in Jhapa or Chandragadi in Morang.

Though such minutiae need not overly exercise our minds, what is far more meaningful – and as had been commented upon last month in these columns – is that there is still no oficial indication of how long the verification job would take. In any case, no time frame for the same was specified in the refugee verification agreement which was reached between the two foreign ministers.

As the leader of the Nepalese side on the JVT put it to this daily: "That we can estimate only after we begin the verification process in the field." In any case, what is even more significant is the lack of any third-party arbitration mechanism to settle the hundreds of time-consuming disputes that are bound to emerge in determining who is/are bona fide Bhutanese citizen(s) who may be repatriated.

As of now, and as explained by Usha Nepal, officials of both sides have agreed to sort out differences that cannot be resolved by the JVT at the ministerial or secretary level.

WHO MEDIATES DIFFERENCES? While reference of such differences to the ministerial level could conceivably help to resolve a number of disputes, in the absence of an impartial – and authoritative – body such as UNHCR more numerous instances could be unresolved for years to come.

Were that to happen, particularly in a large number of cases, the cordial atmosphere said to prevail among members of the JVT during its visit to the refugee camps could become vitiated thereby complicating, or, at the very least, further delaying the speedy repatriation of the refugees in safety and dignity.

As it is, it is only to be expected that as the actual verification process gets rolling problems will also crop up as to which refugee family/individual is to be placed in which one of the four specific categories agreed to by the two sides as far back as 1993 when the first round of ministerial talks began.

(To recall they are as follows: bona fide Bhutanese citizens, non-Bhutanese nationals, Bhutanese nationals facing criminal charges; and Bhutanese nationals who purportedly migrated "willingly" from Bhutan.)

Although our media have practically gone ga-ga over the supposed American role in getting Thimphu to come around, it would be advisable for Nepalese members on the JVT to mull, instead, over the significance of Bhutanese Foreign Minister Jigme Thinley’s down-playing of the US’s mediatory role in that regard.

It is granted that the belated American interest – exemplified most recently by outgoing American President Bill Clinton’s farewell present of an estimated $ 1 million out of $ 22 million earmarked for refugees worldwide – may have had some influence on Thimphu’s new-found sweet spirit of reasonableness.

Nevertheless, an attempt ought to be made to delve into why Thinley did so – and what it could mean in terms of the refugee verification process which is to commence shortly.

As far as this observer is concerned, Thinley’s remarks would tend not merely to reflect Bhutan’s distaste for third-party involvement – already exemplified in the attempt to prevent any role in the verification process for UNHCR.

It could, indeed, translate into other policy positions having a direct bearing on the about-to-being verification process.

VALID DOCUMENTS: Similarly, what also cries out for attention is Thinley’s comment that Bhutan would accept any valid document from refugees to prove their Bhutanese citizenship.

Although that has been interpreted as suggesting a softening in Thimphu’s stance on categorisation – the key to how many refugees will ultimately be repatriated – it could just as well mean that Thimphu has a very stringent set of criteria to ascertain the validity of such documents.

Finally, one should take into account the possibility that Bhutan’s present stance has probably to do more with the fact that various militant/separatist groups from India’s north-east, invited to displace the Lhotshampas in the early 1990s, are making life hell for her.

In any case, this is not the time to relax guard or celebrate.

Teaching English At College

By Dr. Shreedhar Gautam

IMPORTANCE of English language is acknowledged in Nepal like in other countries. Its study is sought after by the majority of the people. It has become important because the knowledge of English Language has become an essential requirement for any good job everywhere. Knowledge of English-language and employability have become complementary to each other. English language has been accepted nationally as well as internationally for enhancing social mobility, cultural transmission and national integration. An exposure to only the vernacular or the national language would put a person at a great disadvantage, vis-a-vis one who has multiple linguistic abilities. It is for this reason that English speaking youngsters in Kathmandu and other cities are at a definite advantage in the job markets than the students from rural areas who are often less competent in English.

Since proficiency in English has become an essential prerequisite for those seeking an employment in most of the private enterprises, children ought to be encouraged to familiarise themselves with English language. Otherwise they have to struggle hard to survive in today’s world. In such a background any contention that English medium schools create a socially elite class is divorced from our culture milieu is fallacious.

On the one hand English Language has gained so much important place, on the other there are practical problems in the path of teaching. It is well known that students from a rural background who have studied in the Nepali medium face immense hardships when they aspire for higher studies since the medium of instruction at higher level is always English.

Unlike students from rural background, students living in towns and belonging to privileged class face no problem while studying in higher classes or facing any academic competition. The real problem of teaching English arises when two streams of students come together at college level. These students present sharp contrast because of their different background.

The teacher’s primary aim in the English class is to complete the syllabus within the stipulated time frame. But for many teachers this can be a frustrating experience. The impressive set of course books prescribed for higher secondary and college level, are neither bought nor studied by the students, the majority of whom consider learning English a bug burden, not a pleasurable or profitable activity. The English teacher, therefore, is like a coach who is given is given the task of teaching acrobatics to children who have not yet learnt to walk.

An English teacher teaching at a college level, especially in T.U. Colleges, faces three fold difficulties. First, he has to motivate the weaker students coming from Nepali medium schools. Secondly, he has to provide an atmosphere conducive enough for them to overcome their inhibitions in the course of interaction with their classmates as well as the teachers. Thirdly, he has to be extra vigilant and careful to make the classes interesting and challenging for those students whose level of competence in English is comparatively high.

There are several inherent paradoxes, contradictions and controversies in teaching English. An English teacher has to take several factors into consideration while teaching. He should not forget that learner is the nucleus of the whole process of instruction. The learner’s age, previous learning experiences, aptitudes, interests, the time he devotes to the learning of English language and other social factors determine not only the suitability of the curriculum, but also the methods of teaching. Without taking into consideration the imperative needs of the learner, no teaching process can achieve the desirable objectives.

Many of us have been teaching English without being aware of the specific objectives of English language or the techniques to be adopted while teaching. It is only by examining the needs of the learners according to their priorities, that general goals can be translated into more specific claim of what the language courses should set out to achieve. Syllabus of English in higher secondary level seems to have been framed with an assumption that teaching literature will automatically help the acquisition of language skills. The main purpose of teaching literature is to communicate aesthetic value and stimulate a sense of personal involvement that will enrich the reader’s life. Here again, we the paradox persists. What is the use of teaching the lofty works of Shakespeare and Milton, when our students are unable to speak or write even simple English correctly?

It doesn’t mean that English should be confined as a medium of language only. One of the factors for its remedy lies in ensuring the accessibility to this medium to the children going to government run schools everywhere. Secondly, our curriculum should plan the use of productive skill, mastering of vocabulary, and acquaintance with the culture and literature of the people. There is a serious mismatch between the objective of our English syllabus and the methodology adopted in the classroom to achieve those objectives and the system of examination.

While preparing course books for our students, our academicians should choose texts which are based on Nepalese culture and the way of life, so that students’ interest can be generated. A text which is closer to the student in terms of place and thought, assists in creating an atmosphere that is conductive to the learning process. This enables the learner to comprehended the text better, gain valuable insights into the creative mind, and ultimately lead him towards creative writing itself. Whatever other factors, teacher should be able to help the students find easier ways of comprehension in the classroom by way of encouraging the use of mother tongue when it is a must. For instance, there is nothing wrong if the English teacher teaching Shakespeare to a mainly Nepali medium class, takes the trouble to refer to translation and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays in Nepali.

Major Problems Of Reducing Debt

AFTER two decades of economic stagnation and little progress in poverty reduction, the seeds of an economic renaissance in sub-Saharan Africa, with faster growth and less poverty, have been sown in recent years through innovative measures such as the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) and the joint IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. A recently released IMF Issues Brief outlines the key policy issues that countries in the region will need to address and the contribution that the inter-national community, including the IMF, will need to make to build on recent gains and establish a cycle of sustained high-quality growth. This and other Issues Briefs are available on the IMF’s website (www.imf.org).

In reviewing the economic record, the Issues Brief observes that, following disappointing economic performance in the 1980s and the early 1990s, sub-Saharan Africa’s performance improved in 1995-97 and real per capita incomes began to rise. This improvement reflected primarily a new commitment by many countries to sound macroeconomic policies and more open and better managed economies, to address their daunting economic and social challenges and to improve their terms of trade.

Despite the recent progress, the Issues Brief cautions, growth remains fragile, standards of living are still very low, and poverty is widespread. Health and education indicators continue to be poor and job opportunities have often not kept pace with the growth of the labour force. The region has been unable to share fully in the benefits of globalisation. In most countries, inadequate infrastructure, weak tax administration and poor enforcement, lack of transparency in tax and investment policies, proper communications, undeveloped financial services, and weak judiciaries have all militated against fuller engagement in the international economy. Armed conflicts also frequently damage economic prospects. The spread of HIV/AIDS is reducing labour productivity and human welfare dramatically.

The Issues Brief points out that faster sustainable growth is essential for improving living standards and reducing poverty: given the low level of per capita income in the region, redistribution alone would barely dent the problem of poverty. In addition to the need to maintain the focus both on macroeconomic stability-through appropriate fiscal, monetary, and exchange rate policies-and on structural reforms to improve the efficiency of markets, there are fundamental challenges in three key areas:

To design and implement comprehensive policy strategies that promote faster growth and poverty reduction and at the same time have broad public support.

To improve governance, promote the rule of low, encourage openness and transparency of government, reduce opportunities for corruption, and create a more favourable environment for private sector investment and production.

To strengthen external payments positions. Debt relief in support of poverty-reducing policy programs has an important role here, especially for the lowest-income heavily indebted countries.

The IMF provides its member countries in Africa, as elsewhere, with policy advice, financial assistance when needed in support of economic policy programs, and technical assistance. Between 1987 and 1999, financial assistance was provided through the Fund’s Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF). But in late 1999, the ESAF was transformed into the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), signifying a new approach to policy programs and poverty reduction, adopted in collaboration with the World Bank and other international creditors and donors.

In conjunction with this new approach, the IMF and the World Bank, together with other creditors and donors, intensified their efforts under the HIPC Initiative. IMF