COVER STORY (Spotlight Weekly)

A Generation Of A New Era

More than seven million Nepalese in the 10-24 age group have grown up in a period of massive technological transformation and wide availability of education facilities. Though they are energetic and creative, they find themselves in a very stagnant job market. As policy makers are least concerned about their situation, Nepal's youth are losing their optimism.

By KESHAB POUDEL

If the number of young people queuing up at the Singha Durbar gate each afternoon is any indication, Nepal's youth are in the midst of a severe employment drought.

Although no one has studied how many of youngsters visit Singha Durbar after 2 p.m each day, ministers and secretaries young men and women come in droves in search of jobs. "I have at least a couple of youngsters from my constituency each day coming for jobs," said Ram Bahadur Gurung, Minister for State for Water Resources.

Nepalese youths : No one guid them

Purnima Adhikary typifies the story of the urban young. A 23-year-old under-graduate, Adhikary is trying to go to the United States or the United Kingdom for higher education. Born into a middle-class family in Kathmandu, Adhikary has access to many modern facilities, including the Internet.

"I want to go to the West to get quality education," said Adhikary, who has been accepted by a university in the United States.

Kushal Timilsina, a 20-year-old resident of Kathmandu, is a BBS student at the Universal Academy. The son of middle class parents, Timilsina, too, has access to modern amenities. But he is not satisfied. "The state has done nothing to mobilize our potential and take advantage of our knowledge and skills," he said. "In such a sorry situation, what is the use of all that I have learned?"

The quest of Adhikary and Timilsina represents the broader picture of urban Nepal's desire to attain a better quality of life.

Rural youngsters, who are mostly semi-educated, are migrating to the urban centers of the country to fulfill similar aspirations.

"I want to meet the minister and ask him to get me a job in any government office," said Balchandra Dahal of Dailekh district.

These youngsters have many potentials as well as limitations. The youth are the future of the country. They are good as well as bad around the world. The young are the children of society but they are yet to be understood properly by policy makers. History has shown that children represent both problems and solutions. Whatever they may be, the youth inherit the country.

The young are exploited by political parties wherever they want to create trouble. From elections to demonstrations, political parties place a great premium on the participation of the youth.

"Education is one of the most important social variables which affects employment of the people. It directly affects the pattern of employment, occupation carried out by them and duration of work," said Parthibeswor P. Timilsina in a report titled "Employment Situation in Nepal". The more educated one is, the better his or her chances to go abroad or secure a better job in Nepal.

According to demographic terminology, the population in the 10-24 age group is regarded as young or youth. But in the Nepalese context, those in the 16-35 age group are regarded as adults. Although a youth gets the right to vote at the age of 18, he or she is eligible for a citizenship certificate at the age of 16. According to the Public Service Commission, a candidate is allowed to apply for a government job until the age of 35. According to the Civil Code, a person reaches adulthood at the age of 16.

There are many hurdles in the days ahead for youngsters, but one can see hopeful signs in smooth transition. The youngsters are gradually replacing the older generation of people in different walks of life and are establishing their own identity. Along with the dot.com business, the mass media, including newspapers, radio and television, are dominated by a growing herd of youngsters.

But there are areas of concern as well. Disparities between the urban and rural youth are growing. The urban youth receive the best possible education in the capital whereas the rural young are forced to study at government schools with traditional curriculum which produce little more than mediocrity.

The positive side of the urban youth is that they are equipped with all kinds of technological knowhow. But at the same time, this group of people, though in a small scale, is trapped in bad habits, including drug abuse.

As the number of educated youth is growing rapidly in urban areas, jobs are becoming scarce. Many Nepalis are returning home with a foreign degree.

People belonging to the 15-34 age group form over a third of Nepal's total population. They are the most powerful group of people in terms of politics, economics and other factors.

In the 1960s and 1970s, few rural youngsters saw a school anywhere near their villages. The radio was a rare commodity then. Today, there is a school in almost every village and the radio is widely available medium of information and education. Television and computers are gradually penetrating the rural areas. Internet access, though for a few people, is available in many parts of the country.

This generation has had wide exposure to every kind of modern facilities. In many rural areas, people may not have seen a car, but they are familiar with telecommunication facilities. "Knowingly and unknowingly, society is transforming in a way that nobody was expecting," said sociologist Padma Lal Devkota. "Nepal's society is in transition as a large number of youth are at least literate or otherwise educated."

A large number of today's youth see life differently from what members of the earlier generation did. But no one has taken the aspirations and needs of these groups seriously. "The youth are gradually confronting new values, but the pace of life in many areas does not match their growing aspirations," said Devkota.

The problem of this powerful but unorganized group is that they do not get the kind of education and jobs they want. Many youngsters are roaming from one place to another in search of better opportunities. Only a few get the opportunities they want, while a large number of others are trapped in the political process.

According to a study, 300,000 young people enter the shrinking job market each year. Finding a place for them is one of the daunting tasks before the country. As major political parties, including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, other communist parties, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, employ the youth as regular workers, the unemployment problem is somehow managed.

As long as the government fails to develop a long-term strategy, these youth cannot expect to get permanent jobs where they can put their knowledge to full use.

"If we handle this group of the population carefully, they can be a blessing for the country. If there are no programs, these energetic youth become a curse for the nation," said Dr. Ramhari Aryal, a population expert. "The youngsters are a group with high demands and high aspirations, so they must be tamed in accordance with the needs of the state."

Other agree that this population group is always vulnerable. "As the youth are creative and energetic, their psyche is always fertile and active. It is education and knowledge that tame their mind," said Dr. Murari Prasad Sharma, a psychologist. "The government needs to develop programs targeting this vulnerable segment of the population," said Dr. Sharma.

According to unofficial estimates, political parties hire youngsters through high schools, higher secondary schools and campuses. The aggressive introduction of radical ideas has already made the youngsters more violent and destructive. "Although a large number of Nepalese are still benevolent in nature, indoctrination of radical political ideology may change their behavior," said Dr Sharma.

Migration among the youth is comparatively high. While the urban youth go to Western countries in search of a secure job and better life, their rural counterparts migrate to urban centers in search of better opportunities.

A study conducted by Bal Kumar K.C., Bhim Prasad Subedi and Yogendra Bahadur Gurung titled "Migration Pattern in Nepal: Streams, Characteristics and Reasons" showed that migration was largely dominated by young adults. About 55 percent of the total migrants are aged between 15-39 years. Out of the total migrants, only 40.0 per cent are literate.

Nepal Population Report 2000, published by the Ministry of Population and Environment, showed how a large segment of the population has migrated over the last 30 years. According to the report, Nepal's urban population was only 3.6 percent in 1961. Within 30 years, in 1991, the figure increased by four times to reach 12.7 percent.

More and more youngsters are searching for places that would help them get better education and jobs. More than 200 students visit the United States Education Foundation each day for information on appropriate US universities. The British Council, too, gives counselling to youngsters. More than 100 youngsters visit the council each day to get information on higher education.

The pressure in the recruitment for the British Gurkha battalion also indicates that a large number of youngsters want to go abroad for a job. For a final recruitment of 200, more than 35,000 people attended different phases of the process.

Among the 4.3 million people in the 15-24 age group, Timilsina and Adhikary represent the few who can afford to go abroad. A large number of rural youth are not so privileged.

The population of Nepal is composed primarily of young people. Since the 1960s, Nepal has remained a country of the young. More than 42 percent of the population is today under 15 years of age. In 1971, the 10-24 age group comprised 29.5 percent of the total population. Today that figure has reached 31 percent.

"To inhere and entitle, most of the rights guaranteed under the laws of the country can be exercised at 16 years," said Attorney-General Badri Bahadur Karki.

The youth represent the new breed of extreme culture from a parody adulthood of teenage girls to the mystifying obsessions of alienated boys. Most of the children are carefully rafted in our own image, raised to reflect the values and given every chances to improve upon them.

Read about young people and despair for them. They are in perpetual crisis as every body wants to settle in new places wherever it may be. So everyone is in a desperate position to leave the native areas to have better position.

Most of Nepal's youngsters would love the chance to climb the tradition-bound seniority ladder in the companies. However, only a few get opportunity and large number of youngsters are ignored. Timilsina and others are riding the crest of social change.

Nepal's traditional culture is now gradually changing and family values are disappearing in the get-rich-quick race.

These teens and twenty somethings are the advocates of change who are in a position to influence the society. But one thing is still unclear: what have the policy-makers thought about them. The new generation needs a better atmosphere. At the same time, the youth is rising and the rest of the society is bowing to it.

Youth are seen as trouble since any political force can abuse them to fight for their cause. From crime to drug abuse, youth are exploited.

Education for all helps to increase the literacy rate among the youth. The comparative figures of the last half-century shows that a large number of the youth has received educational opportunities.

At a time when the youth need the ideas, skills and talent for the future, Nepal's education system still follows the traditional method of learning and doing.

"We need to change our traditional pattern of education system and revamp it to suit the changing global context," said Dr. Jagdish Pokharel, a member of the National Planning Commission. "The curriculum has to change from reading orientation to problem solving."

The schooling system in Nepal mainly consists of primary (grade I-V), lower secondary (VI-VIII), secondary (IX-X) and higher secondary (10+2). From the extreme low of five percent in the 1950s, the literacy rate rose to 53 percent in 1997. Despite the gains, the literacy rate is still very low. More and more youth have got the opportunity to go to school. Although the government has announced a policy of free education, the challenge now is to provide education for all.

Youngsters are the future and hope of the nation but Nepalese policy-makers are yet to understand their potential to boost the country's economy. As long as the government fails to come out with a forward-looking strategy, the youth will have very little to do.

‘We Have A Very Traditional Model For Youth Mobilization’

— Dr. JAGDISH CHANDRA POKHAREL

Dr. JAGDISH CHANDRA POKHAREL, a member of the National Planning Commission, says Nepalese youth need quality education and skill training to compete in the international market. Excerpts from an interview:

What are the challenges before Nepal's policy on the youth?

There are many challenges before our policy for the youth. In the new context, our programs are inadequate to mobilize the youth. Our programs are unable to meet the expectations of the youth and to harness their energy. The programs run by the Education and Sports Ministry are just meeting the need of a particular group of youth. Generally, we are unable to mobilize the youth in particular directions, although we are running some programs in the urban and rural areas. As a result, the youth in urban areas have improved quality in different fields.

How do you assess the direction being taken by young people?

All young people have certain directions and they have their own aims and anxieties. As the young in rural and urban areas have distinct lifestyles, efforts need to be made in different ways. The efforts of the government are not enough to mobilize youth. Two main institutions -- political parties and educational centers -- are responsible for mobilizing large number of youth.

What is your impression of political mobilization?

Political parties are exploiting the youth merely for political gain. As political parties have limited aims, youth cannot expect constructive contributions from them. Unfortunately, political parties have been doing nothing to equip the youth with technological skills.

If that is the case, why are not the youth massively taking part in activities run by political parties?

Today's youth have no choice other than joining politics. It is regular process to use the youth in politics but the question remains, what are the purposes of their use? Political parties must evaluate why they need to exploit the youth's energy. There are many youth organizations run by political parties, but they are not giving any kind of skill training.

How do you see the role of the youth?

Following the restoration of democracy, the youth have lost track. During the Panchayat days, they had a clear goal -- the restoration of democracy. Political parties used the youth as a weapon to attain their goals. We have a very traditional model for youth mobilization.

How do you assess the education system?

Our education system also has failed to build the youth properly. The education system does not teach courses of practical purposes. Rather, it further confuses the younger generation. The education system must teach a student where his place in society is. The education system completely fails to inject confidence in the youth. This has resulted in a deficit in the demand and supply of educated youth. While there is a shortage of manpower in the country, we are producing tens of thousand of educated unemployed youth in the street.

Are Nepal's youth confident?

The youth in the 20-25 age group do not have confidence in their education system and their life. Even students of good academic institutions are disoriented. Most of the youth become pessimists when they do not get their position in society. To give real education through work, we are now running the National Volunteer Service to mobilize the youth. The youth are very much eager to go to rural areas to serve the country.

How do you evaluate the quality of our youth?

In spite of a large number of young people with poor academic background, there are some good students. Unfortunately, the education system is unable to teach a student the challenges of contemporary society. Our classroom education is not at par with the country's demand. The job market is there but students with academic qualification are discarded. If we do not change the education system, the youth will have to lose their opportunity. The curriculum needs to be improved in a modern way.

Are the new generation of students capable?

The present youth are educated and aggressive. But there is a need to bring major changes in education system. There is a need for English language classes, computer literacy programs as well as problem-solving courses. One of the weakest parts of our education system is that we do not have a problem-solving attitude. Unfortunately, our education system is certificate-oriented, as it teaches students how to secure administrative posts like kharidar and subba. This only produces mediocrity. Our traditional tendency needs to be changed.

How do you view the disparity between the urban and rural youth?

Urban areas have many advantages over the rural areas. We are now trying to link rural schools with computer network. We need to give more knowledge in technology.

How much money does the government invest to prepare a youth?

The government spends on an average Rs 350,000 to graduate a student. We need to develop a practical as well as theoretical perspective.

What are the differences between urban and rural youth?

In urban areas, most of the youth have access to computer and Internet services. The youth, who form over 20 percent of the total population, must be given the opportunity to acquire knowledge.

How do you classify the youth?

There are three types of youth. Some want to fight, others are passive watchers, still others leave. A large number of Nepalese youth are very active. Many students are fleeing the country fed up with the conditions here.

What is the number of alienated youth?

In the Nepalese context, only a small number of the youth are frustrated and alienated. The number of young people addicted to drugs is very nominal.

Rural youth must not be ignored'

A 23-year-old medical student, who identifies herself by the email address embolyus@hotmail.com, says she wants to be a successful doctor. She refused to be named or photographed because 'I don't like to be in the limelight'. Her motto is 'aim high'.

What is the role of the youth?

The youth play a vital role in improving society. There seems to be a certain immaturity in Nepal's youth. We need to compromise on certain things in order to get the attention of the older generation. Both generations need to realize that they are actors in a stage. For example, the older generation may prefer to listen to bhajans because they need it now. But they need to realize that the music interests of the youth have changed with the times.

How is the environment for the youth?

The environment for the youth is discouraging in Nepal. The so-called Western influence in urban areas is only centered on copying Western fashion, music, eating habits, and so on.

What would you do to improve the situation?

We should not limit our focus to urban areas. In rural areas, where illiteracy is more rampant, people cannot distinguish between citamol tablets and vitamins. They don't understand that a full course of antibiotics has to be taken in order for the medicine to take the desired effect. Uneducated girls in rural areas fall prey to women traffickers. They come back from brothels with AIDS. A little extra awareness would probably have helped these girls to escape from the clutches of traffickers.

'Politicians Exploiting The youth'

— ANIL CHHETRI

Anil Chhetri, 26, a third year BA student in Tri-Chandra College, is also an youth activist.

What is the role of the youth?

The youth are the future of the country. They need to be molded in the right direction.

What is the current situation of Nepal's youth?

I see youths molding their thoughts in a negative way. Some are willing to contribute to improving society but they remain overshadowed. Money plays a key role in shaping the future of the youth, but it is always scarce. However, some people use money to exploit youth power and create anarchy. When I joined college I suddenly became aware of the plight of the students and the disintegration of the education system by political parties.

I have seen people from urban areas not getting college admissions because they lack political influence or money. Corruption is a major setback for us. Why not try to let the youth focus on studies by freeing them from the clutches of exploiters?

What do you expect from the older generation?

The elders have gone through their youth, but today's young represent a whole different force. The elders have to understand the youth and vice versa. The youth in rural areas suffer the most because they'll have to survive in a much weaker and cruel world. The younger generation will always follow the elders and will always want to achieve something more But some youth tend to envy the older generation. They have to realize that these people have achieved something to get where they are today.

How do you see the future?

The leaders of local elected bodies should take steps in guiding the youth. Awareness plays a vital role in protecting the youth from exploitation. Political parties and leaders have turned out to be in a hopeless state. The education system is in shambles even though people talk of quality education. I am worried that school children might be the next target for exploitation.

'Corruption Enemy No. 1'

— KUSHAL TIMILSINA

Kushal Timilsina is a 21-year-old student of Bachelor's of Business Studies at the Universal College, Lazimpat

What is the role of the youth?

I see the youth getting poorer every day. This may be the result of a lack of education, exploitation by various organizations, or something else. Awareness plays a key role in helping against the exploitation of the youth.

What are you hopes?

I want to create a good name for the people of Nepal and myself. We need to make the public aware of the deteriorating condition of Nepal's youth. I would like to do anything to see that is done.

Why?

Personality and money will help us get the youth out of the quicksand they are in now. Splitting them into political factions and using them will surely help the exploiters get their job done, but it won't do good for their conscience. Money certainly plays a vital role in uplifting the status of the youth.

How do you see the environment for the youth?

I'm frustrated with the education, environmental and economic system of the country. There needs to be a new approach to tackle this problem. There is a wide range of changes needed. But the disappointing thing is that the whole establishment looks corrupt.

What changes do you think are necessary?

The establishment needs to look at these problems more seriously. We can always start by educating the people. The future is always uncertain. I want to help change Nepal. The older generation needs to look at the younger generation as the wheels of the same chariot.

What do you expect the future to bring?

The economic condition in Nepal seems to have suffered a blitzkreig. The Nepalese people will have to pay from their taxes for the recent conditionalities imposed by the World Bank.

What would you have done? What would be your first target?

I would ensure that there is full utilization of natural resources within the country without compromising the nation, its economic, geographical, social, cultural, environmental-related problems. I would target corruption. Improvement is necessary in every field. The bureaucracy needs to be overhauled and made more effective.