National 2 (Spotlight Weekly)

Ominous Idleness

The forced holidays have left children alarmingly adrift

By THAKUR AMGAI

As the education strike called by the All Nepal National Free Students Union (Revolutionary) persists, over half a million kids studying in different schools of the valley are finding it difficult to spend their "leisure" time at home alone. While students usually look forward to holidays eagerly, unscheduled and untimely vacations like this has not been enjoyed by most. In the forced holidays, many students have a hard time killing time.

"I do not have anything interesting to do at home. So I spend my time basking in the sun during the day and chatting with friends in the evenings," says Anisha Thapa of Baneshwore. Use of Internet is another of the engagements students are involved in these days. Students who were already very familiar and habituated to using the net are now using it to the utmost for surfing and chatting with friends. The cyber cafes of the city are filled with students of all ages throughout the day. "Earlier we used to have clients during the mornings and evenings only. But after the school closure we have clients throughout the day," says Kumar Shrestha of Teen Cyber, Naya Bazar.

Children in recreation center : Fun outside school

However, this obsession with chatting has bothered the parents more than ever. "Since the schools closed last week, my daughter spends all the time on the net and hanging on the phone. I am very worried that she is not involved in any creative works," says Parbati Pokhrel, mother of 14-year-old Sunita. "I am thinking of sending her abroad to study to avoid the frequent instability here," adds Pokhrel.

Many parents like Pokhrel who can afford to send their kids abroad have already started doing so. "I have sent my son to Bangalore in the care of my brother as the situation of country is so uncertain," said Navin Singh of Thapathali.

Another of the students' engagement is watching television. Parents complain of their kids watching too much television. The obsession with television is further facilitated by the closure.

Although bored staying home, most kids, however, are oblivious of the studies they have missed. They are not worried about the timely completion of the curriculum and the exams. A very few, mostly of higher grades and students preparing for the upcoming S.L.C. exam, are in search of tutorials to make up studies hampered by the strike. "I could not rely on the school for the preparation of exam. So I have started taking tuition of all
subjects," said Kushal Shrestha, a student of 10th grade.

The parents of smaller kids have their own problems. Nuclear families with both parents working are working couple are forced to take their small kids with them to the office. "Having no one to look after at home, I have brought my son to the office. And even here in the office I find it difficult to work with my son around," said a government officer in the valley.

Youths interested in sports and privileged with space in the crowded city are spending time playing cricket and football. Others with less incentive to play, but interested in sports spend their time watching sports on television. The parks and open spaces are crowded with teenage students. The effect of the school closure has also been seen in restaurants.

The students comprise a big section of society. If they are not engaged in some creative work, especially in a grave situation like this, there are chances that juvenile delinquency will rise. Sociologists say that failure to implement programs to involve students in creative work would result in crisis in society.