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| LETTERS |
Powerless PM Apropos your cover story "Standing Against All Odds" (SPOTLIGHT, May 11), Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is struggling hard to maintain his authority amid growing opposition from virtually every quarter. The main opposition party, ably helped by Nepali Congress dissidents, has done great harm to the image and political presence of Koirala by raising the issue of corruption. Koirala, on the other hand, has been meek in his response to all the accusations made against him. Quite true, he is in office, not in power. But what is the way out? Where does Nepal go from here? People are eager to hear answers to these questions. Ramesh Shakya Lauda Effect The Lauda Air scam has tainted the image of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala ("Standing Against All Odds", SPOTLIGHT, May 11). The seasoned politician is finding it hard to sail over the latest crisis in his life. Quite unlike the Tanakpur or the Dhamija scams, it would not be easy for Koirala to get out of this scandal unhurt. He is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea — the Maoists gunning for him from the jungles and the opposition doing exactly the same from the streets. Jibesh Singh The Letter Bomb Contrary to expectations, the CIAA’s letter bomb could not explode with enough firepower to dethrone Prime Minister Koirala from Baluwatar ("Standing Against All Odds", SPOTLIGHT, May 11). Why did the constitutional body choose to send such letter which, as experts claim, does not pose any legal compulsions for him to quit, at such a sensitive political juncture? Surely, if the CIAA did think that it ought to investigate Koirala, it could have summoned him or registered a formal case against him. This letter episode only lends credence to rumors that CIAA is not doing its homework properly. Kamal Prasad Subedi Misleading Report Although most of your reports are balanced and persuasive, the recent one on private schools entitled "Panic For Nothing" (SPOTLIGHT, May 11) was self-contradictory — as the caption of the photo read chaotic situation — unconvincing. One should not glee over the burning of the neighbor’s house even if a villain occupies it, because the fire can engulf the entire neighborhood. Is it necessary to bring down the quality of private schools to uplift the public ones? Have we not already experienced that with the New Education Plan that nationalized best private colleges like Ascol and destroyed it? Children were taught for years from Nepalese books that said Lord Buddha was an Indian. Such books define watersheds as large bodies of water, and potato as cereal. G.B. Mali’s science book for grade nine (page 85) has a totally erroneous figure for refraction by a glass slab, and the text is conceptually wrong. But he is such a big man in education that whatever he writes sells like hot cakes. If the student’s answer book goes to an examiner who has read only Mali, full marks will be awarded for that explanation; if any other person examines it, no marks will be given. The books by Janak Education Materials Center are no better. In one Nepali book, they could not find the typescript for some letters and blank spaces were left instead. The crux of the problem is blatant negligence and lack of programs and policies. On someone’s whims, the corrupt practices of the SLC board are percolated to the grassroots through district level exams at Grade 5 and 8. Then on another’s whim, the SLC exam is to be done away with. We are pursuing an unheard of policy of privatizing education. Even in the United States, commonly depicted as the Satan of capitalism and privatization, the enrolment is 14 million in public school (1990 data), and 4.5 million in private; of the latter, almost 4 million are for religious compulsions. The best way to control private or public school is to hand over the reins to the concerned community. Just like the community forest succeeded, as the common man understands the importance of quality education, these schools will grow. Shukra Raj Acharya Great Loss The untimely demise of mountaineer Babu Chhiri Sherpa is a great loss not only to Nepal but to the entire mountaineering community ("Into Thin Air", SPOTLIGHT, May 4). His feats are as tall as the Everest itself and are not likely to be forgotten. While we did talk much about his outstanding personality, the real tribute could be if all of us joined hands in realizing his last dream — of opening school in his native village in Solukhumbu. Manoj Gurung |
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