NATIONAL7Spotlight Weekly)]

Losing Steam

The first phase of the communist agitation has failed mobilize the common people against Prime Minister Koirala

By A CORRESPONDENT

Although opposition communist parties, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and factions within the governing Nepali Congress have made every effort to oust Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, he seems to be gaining more confidence and strength.

Even after a violent agitation and maneuvering by political opponents within the party and outside in connection with the Lauda Air deal, the 78-year-old Koirala has not lost his will to govern. In the last leg of political career, Koirala hardly seems to be ready to concede to his opponents.

As the agitation launched by an alliance of six communist groupings led by the CPN-UML has failed to draw the common people on the streets, the main opposition party seems to have hurt itself.

Despite their claim that the street agitation has been able to "expose" Prime Minister Koirala and the Nepali Congress, communist leaders and Congress rebels have no option to finding a solution to the current political deadlock in the presence of Koirala.

"If the recent media trend is any indication, it seems that the wind is blowing against the communist alliance, including the CPN-UML," said a political analyst.

As a last-ditch effort to exert pressure on Koirala, opposition leaders were even said to have manipulated the Commission of Investigation of Abuse of Authority which is probing the Lauda Air deal. The new statement by two of the accused, former RNAC executive chairman Hari Bhakta Shrestha and former board member Tirtha Lal Shrestha, is said to have been inspired by the prime minister's opponents.

Soon after the statement of the Shrestha duo, CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Koirala. "The new statements prove the involvement of Prime Minister Koirala in the Lauda Air deal," declared Nepal at a meeting of party workers in Patan.

However, the controversy over the Lauda Air deal appears to have bruised the opposition as well.

EDUCATION
Silver Lining

Although the call for a weeklong strike at private schools by the Maoist-affiliated student union creates panic, there are some positive signs

By A CORRESPONDENT

Although the strike called by the All Nepal Free Students Union (Revolutionary), the student wing of the Nepal Communist Party (Maoists), has rocked the entire private education system, it also has had certain positive contributions.

If the union's demands are met, students at private schools may get the opportunity to read more about Nepal and its heritage.

Barring a few regular books published by Janak Educational Material Center, most of the material prescribed in the private schools are based on the Indian education system.

"As Nepal does not have enough teachers to teach material imported from India, we need to hire foreign teachers for high salaries. When you pay high salaries, how can you offer cheap education?" asked a private school owner on condition of anonymity.

After the strike called by the union last year, many schools have already started to teach curriculum based on Nepal. "If private school were closed down, Nepal may get more economic benefits. In the private schools, more than 50 percent of the teachers come from foreign countries, including India, and most of the books are imported from India," said Supravat Adhikary, president of Nepal Guardian Association.

"The private schools are run like a business organization in Nepal which increase monthly fees on their own."

Although the union has reduced the strike period from two weeks to one, private schools operators and parents have not been able to heave a sigh of relief.