National 2 (Spotlight Weekly)

Class Conflict

The entire sector is brought to a standstill, as the student wing of the Maoists raise the ante

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

Nimesh Shrestha is a happy boy these days. The 7-year-old first grader plays with his friends, enjoying the winter sun, blissfully unaware that the current unexpected 'holidays' that he is getting could ruin his future. His parents, however, are extremely worried about the latest strike in educational institutions announced by Maoist-affiliated students.

"We are in an impossible situation. Neither can we send our wards to schools nor can we stop worrying that they are losing precious time," said Biren Shrestha, his father.

More than 500,000 students have been forced out of their regular academic exercise after the All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU-Revolutionary) - the student wing of Maoists - announced an indefinite closure of all educational institutions in the Kathmandu valley beginning December 9.

The revolutionary students have also announced nation-wide "education strike" on December 12 and 13. They claim they were forced to announce the strike to press government to pay heed to their 13-point demands (see box).

Despite pleas and protests from students, guardians, civil society and human rights organizations, the ANNFSU-R refused to withdraw its strike call.

It is not for the first time that the revolutionary students have announced strikes in education sector. A year and a half ago they had similarly brought the education sector to virtual standstill by forcing schools to close down for a week.

"It has been sort of ritual for the ANNFSU-R to organize strikes in the education sector by brandishing demands that cannot be fulfilled. They are virtually holding the entire education sector hostage," said an official on condition of anonymity. He pointed to their demands for removing the "terrorist" tag and holding election for constituent assembly.

"It is true that not all their demands are concerned with education. They have mixed genuine academic demands with political ones," said Mana Wagley, a prominent educationist.

He, however, also finds the government at fault. According to him, officials kept an ostrich-like posture. "The revolutionary students had announced their strikes a month ago but there were not adequate exercise to avoid this disaster. Everybody thought the strikes would not take place and now that it has indeed taken place, everybody is busy blaming everybody else."

It was only in the last week that Education Minister Devi Prasad Ojha unveiled a 29-point education reform package (see box). The minister claimed that the package addressed a number of demands put forth by the ANNFSU-R, but the latter has termed it as inadequate and mere ruse to divert attention away from more pressing demands.

The central demand of the ANNFSU-R seems to be the removal of "terrorist" tag given to it. It has said it is willing to sit for dialogue with the authorities once the tag is revoked. The Sher Bahadur Deuba government had declared them as terrorist organization last year after their parent organization CPN (Maoists) walked away from peace talks and attacked army barracks in Dang.

The present government has not shown any sign of removing the tag. "The government is not particularly interested in branding any organization as terrorist. But when they continue to engage in bombing and violent activities, there is no option left," said Minister Ojha. He indicated to recent bombing at Tribhuvan University and several other educational institutions across the country. Last year, the Maoists had also damaged the Mahendra Sanskrit University in Dang where many priceless ancient scriptures were destroyed.

As both the government and ANNFSU-R are sticking to their guns, the future of hundreds of thousands of students has become gloomy. "If neither side sees reason, one would have to think that perhaps our children would never go to school anymore," said Wagley.

Caught in the middle, the umbrella body of private schools, the Private and Boarding Schools Organization of Nepal (PABSON), did try to mediate the talks between the two quarreling forces. But in the end, it was forced to announce a five-day closure of private schools beginning December 9. "We hope in the meantime, a concrete solution will be reached. Otherwise, we will be compelled to open the schools come what may," said an exasperated Rajesh Khadka, president of PABSON. Many schools tried to cover up the lost days of their academic calendar by coinciding it with the regular winter vacation. Some even rescheduled their exam and advanced it just before the strike days.

Despite Khadka's assurances, until the revolutionary students withdraw their strikes, parents will not feel safe to send their wards to schools and campuses. "We have seen how destructive and mindless their acts are. We cannot put our children at risk at any cost," said a worried parent.

Whatever their demands, the strikes called by the ANNFSU-R has been criticized by all sections of society, including the human rights activists. "No reason or logic can justify the announcement of indefinite closure of schools. We urge all to apply restraint and see reason. We must not let our children suffer," said Sudip Pathak, chairman of Human Rights Organization of Nepal.

Meanwhile, as schools and campuses continue to be closed, parents who can afford are now seriously thinking of sending their children abroad, mostly to India, for education. "In the last couple of years, the private schools had began to cater to students from middle and upper middle class families but it now seems the trend will reverse," said a teacher at a reputed private school.

The 13-point demands by ANNFSU-Revolutionary

1. Termination of privatization and commercialization of education

2. Cut down security budget by 75 percent and utilize it in education sector

3. Stop the practice of collecting fees as lump sum and make education totally free

4. Begin practical and refresher training courses and stop arresting/torturing teachers

5. Increase budget of Tribhuvan University for physical development and research in all its campuses

6. Revoke Sanskrit as compulsory subject, begin teaching in mother tongues and repeal other unscientific and eulogizing kind of syllabus

7. Replace the current national anthem with a patriotic one

8. Give adequate budget to public schools teaching ten-plus-two

9. Lessen the gap in fee charged by campuses affiliated to Kathmandu, Pokhara, Purbanchal universities, CTEVT and higher secondary schools

10. Stop the replacement of certificate level

11. Revoke the terrorist tag given to ANNFSU-Revolutionary

12. Take strict action against those involved in the killings and torture of student leaders and release those in custody.

13. Stop the killings, torture and terror by the security forces; form interim government and end the present system through the election of the constituent assembly

Salient points of 29-point education reform package announced by the Education Ministry

* Sanskrit subject will be made optional

* Ministry will take necessary steps to avoid taking action against innocent teachers and students

* Steps to be taken to make school and college syllabus more scientific, practical and relevant

* Primary education to be made compulsory in 25 districts. Action to be taken against responsible persons if school-age children are not sent to schools within the next five years

* Strictly implement the provision of not taking admission fee every time a student is promoted to next grade. The government to revoke the license of schools found to be breaching this provision

* Quick and convenient distribution of permanent teaching license to permanent teachers working at schools operating under government fund

* Ensuring free education up to secondary level to students from underprivileged, Dalit and oppressed section. Certain quota to be reserved for such students in vocational training institutes as well

* Ensuring free education up to higher studies to youngsters who have climbed mountains above 8,000 m

* National sports and youth policy to be unveiled soon

* English to be made compulsory subject from first grade itself

* Government to give Rs100,000 as assistance for physical development to schools operating under community management

* Teaching in at least one mother tongue to be made mandatory up to primary level

CORRECTION

Please read "we are trying to join the Berne Convention" instead of what inadvertently appeared in Pg 19 of the cover story of SPOTLIGHT Dec 6-12, 2002