Refugee Categorisation
Bhutanese Waiting To Return

By Uttam Maharjan

DURING the 12th round of Nepal-Bhutan talks held in Kathmandu in the first week of February 2003, Bhutan showed flexibility in solving the refugee crisis. The change in Bhutan's stand was perhaps due to the donors' meeting that took place in Geneva. At the meeting, Bhutan had to face the music due to its wrong policy towards the Nepali-speaking southern Bhutanese. As a matter of fact, the tide of the world community is in favour of a quick solution to the long-festering refugee problem, And, it was but natural for Bhutan's donors to put pressure on Bhutan to take back the refugees as soon as possible.

Process

Now, the Nepalese and Bhutanese technical teams are in Thimpu to initiate the process of categorising over 12,000 Khudunabari refugees. The verification of these refugees was consummated in December 2001. The prevailing tone at the time was that the verified refugees would be categorised and sent back to their homes, while other refugees would be verified in like manner. But sadly, nothing has come out of it due to Bhutan not showing eagerness to move ahead in the categorisation and repatriation processes. The refugee problem has since remained on the back burner.

Although the categorisation process has been started in Thimpu, the refugees are not happy. Rather, they are slamming the whole process of categorisation based on the four-group concept. There is a solid reason for them to fret. The refugees can be either Bhutanese or non-Bhutanese. Emigrated and criminal Bhutanese belong to the Bhutanese group itself. That is why, the refugees insist that they must be categorised into two groups only. And, all those belonging to the Bhtuanese group must be repatriated. This point has been raised by Nepal in several international fora.

The four-category concept, which was agreed by both Nepal and Bhutan way back in 1993, is a ploy of Bhutan to protract the refugee impasse. That is why, it has been insisting that it will take back only the first category of refugees, i.e. bona fide Bhutanese, citing its so-called legal provision that does not allow those citizens who have emigrated voluntarily to re-enter their country.

But the refugees claim that they were forcibly evicted at gunpoint by the Bhutanese authorities by having them sign voluntary migration forms. During the Kathmandu parley, the Bhutanese authorities challenged their claims and asserted that if the refugees could prove that they had been forcibly evicted, they would all be taken back.

A new development, however fleeting it might be, emerged during the 12th round of talks. The Bhutanese side came up with a new proposal that it would take back all 'willing' refugees. It did not, however, say what to do with 'unwilling' refugees. If this new categorisation were to be accepted, the existing four-category concept would stand null and avoid. But that was not to be as is evident from the on-going categorisation process in Thimpu. It was just a nine days' wonder.

It is not yet clear which type of refugees Bhutan is planning, if at all, to take back. The long-held stand of the Druk Kingdom is that it will take back only bona fide Bhutanese, leaving other refugees in the lurch. If only bona fide Bhutanese refugees are repatriated, less than 30 per cent of the refugees will see their homeland again. And, the remaining refugees will have to be either, assimilated into the country or settled in some other countries.

Both of the these options are difficult. In fact, it is Bhutan's strategy to completely purge the Lhotsampas, as the Nepali-speaking southern Bhutanese are locally called, and maintain the identity of the Dzongka-speaking Bhutanese throughout the country. That is why, the Bhutanese government has been settling native Bhutanese in the homesteads of the refugees in the name of agrarian reform.
It is also reported that the relatives of the refugees are facing hassles in Bhutan. They find it heavy going to find jobs. They are discriminated against in every field, be it education or otherwise. The so-called ethnic cleansing policy of Bhutan is an international crime. International law stipulates that making a citizen stateless is against humanity. If the refugees problem is not solved, it is certain that they will be rendered stateless.

Chance

The 13th round of talks is scheduled to be held in Thimpu on 24 March. At the meeting, the details about the categorised refugees will be discussed and a decision will be made as to the repatriation of the first batch of refugees. If the documents of the refugees in corroboration of their being Bhutanese citizens are to be accepted, most of them will have a chance to go back home. In case the Bhutanese authorities employ yet another stratagem to stultify the talks, Nepal must assess its whole approach and knock the doors of the international community. After all, the country cannot afford to shelter the refugees for ever.

Civic Education Makes Dutiful

By Ramesh Prasad Gautam

ALEXIS de Tocqueville was a young French aristocrat when he visited the United States in the 1830s, when the spirit of Jacksonian democracy was helping to bring about greater equality and more widespread participation in political life. He was impressed by America's experiment in democracy and he recorded his impression in a book 'Democracy in America'. Impressed by the equality of opportunity in the democracy, he knew how a society so devoted to materialism and the pursuit of individual self-interest could produce the civic spirit essential for self government. He did not believe there had to be a contradiction between self-interest and civic mindedness. In widespread participation in political life each citizen could see a connection between self-interest and the common good. Civic education serves to widen the relationships among individuals, groups and nations. It helps generate a sense of responsibility in each individual citizen towards the family, community, society, nation and the world at large through shared understanding of every one's rights and duties. It is a process by which every individual learns to be a good citizen with knowledge, values and attitudes and practical application as norms and values of a democratic society. It is therefore esssential to inculcate democratic ways of life right from childhood.

Civic education tries to focus its activities on young people, more specially the students who start such process from home at an early age and gain knowledge and skills at schools. It always tries to produce good citizens with a sense of civic rights and duties and a sense of self respect. It is always associated with social advancement, peace, democratic behaviour, world brotherhood, and economic prosperity. It is such a discipline, which internalises self ruled behaviour and seeks to develop necessary skills and attitude to enhance the lives of human beings. Hence civic education can heal our alienated society, provided the values and moral judgement necessary for a meaningful life, and help children develop a social consciousness that will lead them to create a better society. It is the responsibility of civic education to develop citizens who can comprehend human society and contribute effectively to it.

Civic education is a comprehensive concept which aims to transform the personality of individuals through process of education focused on human values, positive attitudes and good behaviour, and citizenship. It is key to generate the spirit of cooperation as a virtue. Civic education is an effective tool to foster the ideas of cooperation and develop it as the foundation of human relation characterised by cordiality and humanity.

Regarded as the laboratory for the practice and promotion of peace, human values, human rights and democracy, school is the most effective means of bringing positive transformation in the attitude, nature, character of the students through instilling them the spirit of mutual understanding, cooperation, friendship, love and respect for others' freedom, rights and duties. They are made aware of their fundamental rights and duties through civic education.

Civic education must be promoted through informal and non-formal channels. A great deal of awareness raising and advocacy materials need to be developed in the form of pamphlets, posters, simple reading and pictorial/illustrative materials targeted to all at the community level. Media can play the powerful role in conveying the good messages. In fact, civic education is democracy in action which focuses on good relationship between public order and individual freedom. In this context, individuals, groups and the skills of socialisation are essential. Students should be taught to be cooperative and helpful to the poor and needy. They should be taught to be responsible. Civic education tries to promote self-realisation, self control and self-governing capacities.

Civic education or democratic values and nerves oriented education should never be neglected. In this regard humanitarian approach rather than fanatical approach should be adopted in an integrated manner. Einstein has stated that the future religion of the world will be based on natural law. The students have to be taught both scientific and spiritual education. In the context of our country civics existed until the advent of new education plan in the early, 30s when it was replaced by social studies in the high school and Nepal Parichaya at the intermediate level in campuses. With the dawn of multi-party democracy in Nepal in 1990, His Majesty's Government modified the school course on social studies and campus course on Nepal Parichaya. Nepal began its tryst with democratisation. The preamble of the Constitution refers to the notions of sovereignty of people, governance on the consent of popular will securing the people justice in the future and the basic human rights for the people.

After introducing the multiparty democracy the sovereignty of the people embeded in the Constitution implied an increase in the responsibilities of citizens. This change has increased the need for civic education to enable the citizens to understand democracy, fundamental rights and representation of political power and its imperative to serve the public interest.

Nowadays political parties are trying to offer political education to their cadres in their own ways, but the political education provided by them to train their cadres, supporters and voters is insufficient.
Neither do the general school curriculum offer much scope for the younger people to learn about the values, institutions and process of democracy. What is needed is a democratic partice that always correlates with the civic education and its norms and values.

Parental Involvement

By Sumaya Rai

THE relationship between the parents and a child is precious. It is a relation which creates ground for a congenial environment. The relationship influences various aspects of the child's life. His/her success and tapping opportunities in life such as to be a good administrator, businessman, academician etc. most probably depends on the parent-child relationship. "Parental attitude in the education of their children is a lifetime process that begins before the onset of formal education and continues beyond it, says Joseph Lapides.

Parental attitude is closer to academic achievement of students. Achievement is one of the manifestations of the personality of students. One of the most important factors behind good results is the parent-child relationship. Parental involvement in a child's education may be a motivational factor.
Many Educational psychologists have conducted studies to see what determines high academic and low academic achievements although all circumstances are the same in the school environment for all students. Educational psychologist and expertise comes to this point, beside the provided circumstances in the school environment, parental factors are most important. Parental involvement is seen as vital in this regard.

There are various factors or dimensions regarding a child's academic achievement such as-parental protection, punishment, rejection, demand, indifference, reward, love, neglect etc. Parental protection, love, demand, reward, punishment towards children develop good and proper relationship between parents and child. Proper relationship may enhance better academic achievement in class. On the other hand, a child who does not get proper parental protection, may be deprived of good results in their class.

A study was done concentrating on the academic achievement of a child. The study was conducted by collecting samples of 70 male and female students of a high school belonging to 14-16 age group. The sample was selected from different schools of Anamnagar in Kathmandu on the basis of random sampling technique.

All the students were given the Parent-Child Relationship Scale, developed by Dr. Nalini Rao (Bangalore). The given scale was converted into Nepali. PCRS is an important scale the measurement for the study of relationship between parent and child. This PCRS has 100 items. All items consist of 10 different parent-child relationship dimension of Parents (father and mother) as follows-protection, symbolic punishment, rejection, object punishment, demanding, indifference, symbolic reward, love, object reward, neglecting.

Items of the scales were arranged in the same order as the dimensions. Each student had to fill in the scales for both father and mother separately. Students were asked to rate statement as their own perception of their relationship with father and mother on the five point scale ranging from always, many times, sometimes, rarely, very rarely weighted-5,4,3,2,1 on the scale point. The total marks of the student's annual results were used as a tool to compare their smooth loving, dominating relation etc. regarding their achievement.

The data was analysed statistically by 't' test to find out the significance of difference between the mean value of high achievers and low achievers group and comparison between mean values of students' perception about their relationship with their parents of both groups-high achievers and low achievers.

According to the result, academic achievement of both groups (high/low) is related with child and parental relationship. Academic achievement depends upon the parental perception towards children and children's perception towards parents. As the study showed, high achievers group had been given more protection, more demand, more love and less object punishment by their parents compared to low achievers group's parents. As a result, this kind of behaviour is quite supportive and play a positive role towards better position in the class as well as academic achievement. Whereas, more symbolic punishment, more rejection more negligence, more symbolic and object reward and more indifference were given by parents of low achievers group. These types of behaviour towards children did not play positive role for high achievement.

It may be concluded that there is significant relationship between academic achievement and parental involvement.