FNJ: Be More Active

WITH the election of the new central executive committee of the Federation of Nepalese journalists (FNJ) on Tuesday, Nepalese journalists would now hope that the biggest professional organisation of journalists in the country becomes more active that it has hitherto been. Granted that FNJ has in the past sought to highlight different issues faced by journalists in terms of professionalism, critics have consistently said that FNJ, as the most representative professional organisation of Nepalese journalists, has not fully lived up to its mandate. When hundreds of journalists enthusiastically elected the new batch of office-bearers on Tuesday, they did so with the hope that FNJ does not continue to remain just a mere organisation that issues occasional press release on this or that issue while lacking boldness in dealing with matters that affect Nepalese journalists most. If one were to judge on the merit basis the achievements of the outgoing central executive committee, entrusted with the responsibility of undertaking various tasks to strengthen Nepalese journalism, there may not be many things of note. One area where it has failed is in lobbying for the implementation of the Working Journalists Act passed more than a half decades ago. The Act was passed with much fanfare and on which much hopes was pinned for bettering the working conditions Of Nepalese journalists. The Act, past years have shown, is virtually confined to the paper it was written on. Lobbying for the right to information Act is another task that has not reached its logical conclusion. FNJ was involved in drafting a right to information bill with assistance from a media NGO. But unfortunately the bill has only inched forward to the parliamentary table. Absence of a right to information act, journalists and media watchers agreed, has not helped journalists to go after crucial information and present it to the public.

These and other issues, like ensuring compliance with Code of Conduct, that have a direct bearing on journalistic performance and duties and responsibilities of the press, have to be taken up by the elected committee with greater vigour and a sense of dynamism. The conflict situation obtaining in the country at the present moment with all its implications on journalistic profession is another factor that the new set of office-bearers will have to consider seriously. It has to effectively meet the challenge of promoting responsible journalism and ensuring journalists’ access to information. The fact that several of the new office-bearers also served in the past committee should mean that the new committee is not unaware of these issues consistently highlighted by the working journalists. Let’s hope the future will see FNJ much more active in lobbying for and advocating changes that would make Nepalese journalism a dynamic force and a true bearers of the flag of the Fourth Estate. We wish it success in its endeavours.

Sorry State

MINISTER of State for Education and Sports Narayan Prasad Saud said that two kinds of citizens would be produced in the country if proper attention is not given towards improving the quality of education in public schools. State Minister Saud made this remark while inaugurating a five-day workshop relating to inclusive education training organised by the Department of Education and Danish University of Education in Laitpur the other day. State Minister Saud’s remark clearly hinted that the quality of education at public schools is poor. Certainly, the quality of education at public schools is very poor in comparison to that of private boarding schools. The SLC results every year reflect this disparity with over 90 per cent passed results for private schools while over 60 per cent failures for public schools. Lack of trained teachers and education material is regarded to be the main cause behind the poor results of the public schools. On the other hand, the private schools that charge heavy fees to the students leave no stones unturned to achieve a high pass rate. A majority of parents in the rural areas have no option but send their children to the nearby public schools. First of all, how can a student from a poorly equipped public school of a village in Ilam district compete with the students from the boarding schools in Kathmandu in the SLC examinations? The same is true in job markets or for higher education. It is highly essential to improve the quality of education in public schools. Certainly, the country’s education system has several problems to tackle with. Most of the girls and disabled in the rural areas still lack assess to schools for various reasons. The limited schools run for the disabled are limited to the urban centres. According to the 2001 census, over 100,000 people in Nepal are disabled and many of them, especially in villages, are deprived of education facilities. As such, it is expected that the ongoing workshop will be fruitful in finding out the remedies for the shortcomings of the country’s education system.