A Year On Exports

THAT the Nepalese economy is in shambles is known to all. When there is a general crisis in the economy, it is not a surprise that the exports have also dwindled by hefty margins. Nepal's exports were hit by various factors including the security situation. For a number of years, Nepal's export earnings have been shrinking, causing many in the business even to close shops. Many in the export business and those in industries supporting exports have lamented at the lack of initiatives in trying to arrest the slide in exports. Granted, the export business, being part of the overall economy, would also be affected by the deteriorating economy engendered by the country's overall situation. But such a negative trend precisely is all the greater person why special attention should be paid to prop up the export business. For this, both the government and the private sector must come together to find ways and means to inject some life into the export business. In this connection, it is a good move on the part of the government to declare the year 2003 as the Export Year. Marking the declaration, Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand said in view of the deteriorating state of export trade over the past few years, different schemes will be held to support the export trade including identification of export goods, flow of business information and participation in the international fairs. Other ministers like Finance Minister Dr. Badri Prasad Shrestha and the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Mahesh Lal Pradhan, also hoped that exporters would benefit from the year of the export by facing the present challenges of globalised trade and liberalisation.

However, for exporters to really benefit from such a year, the government must come out with special programmes, in consultation with the private sector. Declaring a year as such will only yield the intended results, if the extra efforts are invested in addressing the problems faced by the export business. It is the duty of the government to extend incentives and other various ways of support to exporters to tide over the present difficult times. The exporters and those engaged in industries producing exportables must also, at the same time, explore new ways of promoting products regionally and internationally. In sum, the year should not be confined to ritualistic celebrations without tangible benefits harvested, when the stock-taking is done at the end of the year.

Improving Education Sector

THE country's education system is often blamed to be unscientific and unproductive. All, whether they are politicians, policy makers, educationists or teachers, point to the need for an immediate reforms in the country's education system. However, the big irony is that the same politicians or teachers do nothing to introduce the corrective measures when they reach the decision-making levels. A good education system is the foundation to produce skilled personnel that is necessary to move the country on the path of development. It is true that great emphasis has been laid on the education sector over the decades but it has led to a deadlock in the sense that employment opportunities have not kept pace with the increasing number of the educated people. The high number of applicants for any vacant post that any institution announces justifies this point. There are some basic problems including the commercialisation of education on the one hand while on the other hand the schools and colleges are increasingly becoming the targets of the attacks and destruction throughout the Kingdom. The country's education sector is in doldrums at present. Many teachers have been killed and the young students are being coerced to carry bombs and guns instead of books and pens.

Understanding the intricacies, Minister for Education and Sports Devi Prasad Ojha, speaking at a programme of teachers, in Biratnagar, the other day, has called upon the teachers to display confidence and face the undesirbale elements that have been attacking the education sector. Minister Ojha was right in saying this to boost the teachers' confidence at a time when a large number of teachers are fleeing to the district headquarters due to the fear of working and living in the villages. In fact, no one can win a battle with a defeated mentality. So, the teachers as well as the civic society should work unitedly to free the education sector as well as the country from the fear and threat created by some elements. At the same time the government should also introduce more reform measures in the education sector and effectively implement the measures introduced earlier. Unless we free the country's education sector from the existing anomalies and initiate measures to modernise it, we cannot compete with other countries in terms of overall development of the nation.