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COVER STORY |
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COVER STORY |
EDUCATION Just as the country was
beginning to focus on educating its people and making some progress, relentless assaults
from violent elements have thrown the system off the track. In recent years, the education
sector has become a favorite target of such violence. Whether it is arson and vandalism in
the capital's private schools or the brutal killing of teachers in remote villages, the
sector is facing an all-out attack. Reports of a five-day general shutdown to coincide
with the all-important SLC examinations have raised fresh concerns about the motives
behind the disruption. Unless the education sector is shielded from violence, the progress
the country has made in the last five decades could disappear without a trace. By SANJAYA DHAKAL Swarms of young girls in bright red dresses
and wearing transparent green headscarves crowded into Amani High School in Kabul,
Afghanistan on Saturday (March 23). It was the first time they attended school after the
Taliban regime banned education for girls five years ago. There are an estimated 4.4 million
school-age children in Afghanistan. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) launched a
countrywide campaign to encourage parents to send their children to school, registering
1.5 million children for the new year.
As Afghanistan's new government is
attempting to put education back on track after two decades of national turmoil, Nepalese
officials are struggling to save their schools from Taliban-style attacks and other
manifestations of violence. A little over a month ago, a band of
Maoists ransacked the building of Lord Buddha School in the capital, destroying computers
and other facilities. Nearly a year ago, in a series of attacks on educational
institutions, the Maoist-affiliated student group had vandalized Elites Co-ed, Modern
Indian, Rupy's International and other schools. They organized a week-long closure of
schools across the country. Recently, a young boy in the eastern district of Sankhuwasabha
discovered a quaint object on his school premises. As he was trying to figure out what it
was, the bomb exploded, instantly killing the boy. Reports that the Maoists have announced a
five-day general shutdown strikes to coincide with this year's School Leaving Certificate
(SLC) examinations has triggered fresh fears in the minds of students and parents. Almost
260,000 examinees across the country will be affected if the extended strike actually
takes place. "Apart from physical inconvenience, there will be tremendous
psychological impact to students whose attention will now get diverted from their
studies," said a teacher. Students in villages and outlying
districts, too, are facing the fallout of this culture of violence. In many district
headquarters and surrounding areas, there are reports that security forces ask the local
people to turn off their lights for security reasons. This has led to a situation where
students cannot study after dusk. It is not for nothing that the UNICEF
country representative to Nepal, Stewart McNab, made a statement asking all parties
concerned to make education "a zone of peace". He publicly appealed to all to
keep education out of violent politics. Parents, teachers, students and many others share
his sentiments. Terrorized Teachers Thanks to the insurgency, teaching has
become one of the most dangerous professions in Nepal. Twenty eight teachers have been
deliberately killed by the Maoists so far ó nine of them since the state of emergency was
declared in late November last year — and dozens of others have been maimed, stated
Amnesty International (AI) in a press release more than a month ago. After Muktinath Adhikary, acting headmaster
at the Panini Sanskrit Secondary School and convenor of AI local group in Lamjung, was
brutally murdered by Maoists while he was teaching, the London-based human rights
watchdog, in a public appeal addressed to the leadership of CPN (Maoists), condemned in
the According to Father Jim Donnelly, an
experienced educator who had taught at the prestigious St. Xavier's school for the last
four decades, the violence is doing an irreparable harm. "We are terrorized. The
country is being brought down. You cannot tell where these terrorists are going to strike
next. Recently, the Maoists damaged computers and other education materials of two schools
in the capital. Now, that is pure terrorism. Moreover, the psychological effect is hurting
the sector over the long term," he said (see box interview). Teachers' associations have been demanding
extra security for their members. As the government is engaged in an all-out offensive
against Maoists, the latter are hunting for ësoft targets' like teachers. The government
maintains it is sensitive to the problems of teachers. "The ministry has made new
provisions under which teachers who feel threatened can be transferred to safer locations
at the recommendation of the Chief District Officer, District Education Officer and
security authorities," says Yubaraj Pandey, spokesperson at the Ministry of
Education and Sports (see box interview). "Moreover, the government's security
agencies have stepped up security at schools and other educational institutions." "It has been a tradition in this
country to exploit students and teachers for political purposes," says Krishna Bikram
Thapa, executive director of the Malpi Institute, a leading private school. "However,
rather than politics, the Maoists are triggering violence. Due to their violent tactics
many good Christian schools in districts like Gorkha, Baglung have closed down," he
says. Big Upset Nepal had made tremendous progress in
educating its citizens over the last five decades. The general literacy rate has jumped
from 2 percent in 1950 to around 50 percent today. Government investment in the sector has
increased considerably, reaching around 15 percent of the total annual budget. More than
five million students are enrolled in primary and secondary level schools. Enrollment in
higher education, too, is growing by an average of nine percent a year. Similarly, big strides had been made in the
development of education infrastructure. Access to schools had improved substantially. The
average walk from home to school now takes about half an hour. Every Village Development
Committee (VDC) has at least a couple of schools. There are 25,599 schools in the country,
of which 8,547 are private ones. (Education Statistics of Nepal 1999) The recently passed 7th Amendment to the
Education Act, too, has introduced a number of provisions to improve the education system.
"The 7th Amendment to the Education Act is one step towards correcting the mistakes
we made in the past," says Professor Dr. Mana Prasad Wagley, a leading education
expert (see box interview). "The provision of mandatory teaching
license will definitely help in promoting quality. The system of electing parents to the
school managing committee will encourage their direct involvement in education. This will
ultimately help in maintaining minimum ethical standards in schools. The new measures have
attempted to streamline teachers' activities in a professional line. The regulatory
framework for private schools is another move towards encouraging discipline. However,
there is some controversy about the 1.5- percent tax on the total transaction of private
schools in order to create a Village Education Development Fund and the tax they have to
pay again based on their income. This cannot be considered just.". He, however, criticizes the lack of
adequate investment in the education sector and blames it for the poor quality of public
education. "Studies show that primary education, in order to maintain minimum
standards, requires US$32 per student per year. But the government is hardly providing
$22. The case is even worse for the secondary level, it requires $73 per student per year
and the investment is only $33. How can you maintain quality in such a situation?" "This is another evidence why the
foreign assistance has not been helpful in developing educational quality in Nepal. The
money spent on literacy and non-formal education is just like pouring water in the sand.
The literacy program is making more illiterates. On the one hand, they add fake names in
the register to show the number and get the money. On the other, they don't have
continuing and post literacy programs, which will turn literates into illiterates within a
few years. The government's claim of 57 percent literacy cannot be believed. The actual
rate is below 40 percent." With the increasing intensity of violent
intervention, all these achievements could be undone. Already the government is cutting
down expenditure on development and using it for security enhancement. Although the
government had earmarked around Rs. 14 billion for education sector out of the total
annual budget of 99 billion rupees (for the fiscal year 2001/2002), a significant portion
of the allocations could be diverted to the security budget. "The ministry is attempting to end the
situation of uncertainty. However, violence and insurgency are gripping the whole country.
The ministry's attempts to solve this problem are not separate from those of the
government," says Pandey. While much of the world is making big
strides in development through education, Nepalese students are being subjected to
violence that could set back the country's progress by several years. Few, if any, know
whether sanity will prevail in time for education to get back on track. But the country
can clearly hear the clock ticking. ‘The Ministry Is Attempting To End Today's Uncertainty’ —YUBARAJ PANDEY Yubaraj Pandey is the
spokesperson at the Ministry of Education. He spoke to SANJAYA DHAKAL on the major issues
confronting Nepal's education system. Excerpts: How is the government looking at
the anarchy-like situation in the education sector resulting from violence and insurgency? The Ministry of Education and Sports is
very sensitive to the problems of the education sector. The ministry is attempting to end
the situation of uncertainty. However, violence and insurgency are gripping the whole
country. The ministry's attempts to solve this problem are not separate from those of the
government. The education sector is a key
target of the insurgency, with many teachers have being killed and maimed. Does the
government have any plan to provide extra security to teachers? The ministry has made new provisions under
which teachers who feel threatened can be transferred to safer location at the
recommendation of the Chief District Officer, District Education Officer and security
authorities. Moreover, the government's security agencies have stepped up security at
schools and other educational institutions. How serious is the threat of
violence in the education sector? This is a problem faced by the entire
country. So the education sector cannot remain unaffected. There are thousands of schools
in the country where tens of thousands of students study. Any disturbance, therefore, can
affect a large section of the population. The ministry is trying to coordinate its efforts
with those of the government, which is working hard to solve this problem. Recent news reports suggest that
donor agencies want to change the school curricula. At the same time, there is a growing
feeling that frequent changes could be counterproductive. What do you say? I don't think the issues of stability and
policy reforms are contradictory. One cannot oppose moves to bring about timely
improvements in the curricula. However, reform for the sake of reform should be
discouraged. The ministry is sensitive to this matter. The fifth education development
plan has begun and donors are assisting in the formulation of a human resource development
plan. If such studies undertaken with the assistance of donors point to any weaknesses in
the existing curriculum, the ministry can work on that. However, it is not interested in
changes that could further destabilize the sector. The change in the academic calendar
has been blamed for the instability in school education. How is the situation now? I believe the situation has now become
stable. What are the salient features of
the 7th Amendment to the Education Act? The ministry believes the 7th amendment
will resolve some fundamental problems the education sector is facing. One of its salient
features is the requirement of teaching license. Anyone wanting to become a teacher has to
get a license. Secondly, it has introduced a system under which the president and three
members (including one woman) of the school management committee will have to be elected
by parents/guardians. There will be nine-member school management committee drawing
members from the local community. Parents will have a decisive place in such
committees. Thirdly, the amendment has allowed schools to charge fees from students based
on certain standards like grades and facilities. In fact, even private schools will be
classified based on these standards and would have to fix their fees accordingly. Earlier,
the government's policy was to provide free education up to secondary level, but there was
a tendency to charge students under different pretexts. This amendment has kept primary
education free and has permitted schools to charge certain fees from secondary-level
students. However, schools cannot charge any fee from students coming from families that
are below the line of absolute poverty. Likewise, the amendment has created a Village
Education Committee for each VDC. These committees will be responsible for raising the
standard of education. The provision of parents-teachers associations is another important
feature of the amendment. In order to end the politicization of the sector, the amendment
has created a single teachers' union that will be active at the central and district
levels. Another significant feature of the amendment is the setting up of the Rural
Education Development Fund (REDF). Institutional schools will be required to provide at
least 1.5 percent of their total income every year to the fund. The money will be used to
develop rural education infrastructure. How can the quality of education in
public schools be improved? The government believes such provisions of
the 7th Amendment Act as the REDF, teacher license, community management and village
education committees will help to improve the quality of education in public schools.
Besides, the government is keen to develop vocational education and training to bring
about positive changes in this sector. ‘I Want To See The Country Develop Through Good Education’ — Fr JIM DONNELLY
Father Jim Donnelly
is one of the most senior and respected teachers of St. Xavier's School, which has been
providing quality education to thousands of Nepalese over the last five decades. A
73-year-old veteran, Father Donnelly has been teaching in Nepal since 1961. He recently
retired from active teaching. American by birth, he has made Nepal his second home.
"I believe in what I am doing. I want to die here and be buried in Godavari,"
says Father Donnelly. A person with tons of experience in Nepal's education sector, Father
Donnelly spoke to SANJAYA DHAKAL. Excerpts: How do you assess the progress of
Nepal's education sector over the last few decades? I have witnessed a lot of manpower
developed. Many people have received various kinds of training. The New Education System
Plan (NESP), back in 1970s, had inspiring aims, but it did not succeed because the
groundwork was not prepared. But there were brilliant people like Mohammad Mohasin and
Thakur Man Shakya, who were involved in the NESP. Their concept was good, but the
implementation was bad. Meanwhile, from 1974 until 1977 every school had to be
Nepali-medium. Slowly but surely it eroded and private schools got back on track after
they were allowed to operate in English medium as well. This led to the emergence of
scores of real leaders in education sector. Schools like Shubha Tara, Galaxy, Little
Angels, GEMS and so on came up. I have great respect for the teachers who are imparting
excellent education. All of us believe in quality education. We support what the Ministry
of Education wants and what these private schools are doing. I am really proud to hear of
achievements by Nepalese. My motivation is to develop the country and I want to see it
happen through good education. How do you see the violence and
insurgency that has been affecting the education system? I am unhappy with all that's happening with
the Maoist trouble. The Maoist insurgency is doing no good. I am anti-Maoist and
pro-monarchy. I believe in our king, country and the constitution. The ministers could be
better, but I believe they are the vehicles we have to work with to build the country. I
support everything that our country is trying to do through the recognized system
beginning with the constitution and the constitutional monarch. King Gyanendra is
absolutely the best person for the country. It was too bad that during the change of 1990, the monarchy was
trimmed down practically to zero. King Gyanendra has excellent education. A strong and
committed man now in his 50s, he is the right man there. Over the years through his
business contacts, he knows how to get things done. How much is this violence affecting
the education sector? It is doing irreparable harm. We are
terrorized. The country is being brought down. You cannot tell where these terrorists are
going to strike next. Recently, the Maoists damaged computers and other education
materials of two schools in the capital. Now, that is pure terrorism. Moreover, the
psychological effect is hurting the sector over the long term. What are your views on public
education? I don't have much knowledge about it. I
interacted with different commissions and government agencies during the 1970s. I was also
on some textbook and syllabus committees. Then, good things were being discussed about
improving the quality of education. I want to see public education succeed. Anybody who
takes up a book and tries to teach 40/50 students deserves our blessings. They are doing
what the country needs. We, at St. Xavier's, conducted training program for teachers. The
St. Xavier's campus is going to start a course on training teachers. That will probably be
a big help for the country. It is also important that the education we impart include
moral training so that students will learn to help the helpless and disadvantaged groups
in society. Besides, providing free education, at least up to the primary level, is very
important. As our resources do not allow us to make education free up to the higher level,
we need to make sacrifices to make it free at least up to the primary level. Could you tell us something about
St. Xavier's School's contributions to education in Nepal? Our contributions are mainly the people
that we have turned out. We have 3,000 students that have gone through this school —
most of them have already graduated. We have taught them to be independent thinkers and to
be professional-minded. It is a matter of great pride that our students are in leading
positions in many spheres like medicine, engineering, army and teaching. Whenever I suffer
from health problems, I go to my students who have become the best in their respective
fields. Our students have gravitated to the top. Except for politics, our boys have become
successful in every field of life. ‘Politicians And Bureaucrats Should Be Educated First’ — Prof. Dr. MANA WAGLEY Professor Dr. Mana Prasad
Wagley is an expert in education. He spoke to SANJAYA DHAKAL on the challenges before
Nepal's education system. Excerpts: How do you assess the state of
education in Nepal? The present state of the country is very
discouraging. Nepal still has not been able to develop education as a system. The dropout
rate at the primary level is still alarming. Secondary education has not been able to
develop skills in students. Private schools are promoting rote memorization. The SLC
results show that the country has wasted much of the investment in education. Even SLC
toppers are finding trouble coping with higher secondary education. The wastage in higher
secondary education is more than 60 percent. The situation of higher education is even
worse. On average, the wastage is about 80 percent. Millions of dollars in loans has been
spent in training teachers, but the situation in schools is worsening. We have signed
another $1.5 billion loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank for the same purpose
without correcting past mistakes. The situation of other quality input like instructional
materials and support services, too, is extremely poor. From all this, it is clear that
the government has been looking only for money and does not have the slightest idea of
what is happening in education. The politicians and bureaucrats should be educated first.
Again, the money spent on literacy and non-formal education is just like pouring water in
the sand. They don't have continuing and post literacy programs, which will turn literates
into illiterates within a few years. The government's claim of 57 percent literacy cannot
be believed. The actual rate is below 40 percent. What are your views on the 7th
Amendment to the Education Act? How would it help to develop education? The 7th Amendment to the Education Act is
one step towards correcting the mistakes we made in the past. The provision of mandatory
teaching license will definitely help in promoting quality. The system of electing parents
to the school managing committee will encourage their direct involvement in education.
This will ultimately help in maintaining minimum ethical standards in schools. The new
measures have attempted to streamline teachers' activities in a professional line. The
regulatory framework for private schools is another move towards encouraging discipline.
However, there is some controversy about the 1.5- percent tax on the total transaction of
private schools in order to create a Village Education Development Fund and the tax they
have to pay again based on their income. This cannot be considered just. Recent news reports suggest plans
are afoot to change the curriculum. Do you think such a change is appropriate now? Curricular changes take place very often
because of the money allocated by the educational projects. It is only to spend the money
and not to improve quality. From the past 15 years' experience, we have seen that merely
changing the curriculum has not helped improve the system. We changed the curriculum at
primary level, and the result is that most of the primary school teachers do not
understand what they are teaching. We changed the secondary school curriculum, and the
result is that the SLC failure rate increased from 55 percent to 70 percent. We changed
the curriculum at the higher secondary level, and the result is discouraging. A similar
situation exists in the higher education curriculum. This shows that changing curriculum
alone is not the solution. The recently developed second secondary education development
plan by the Asian Development Bank proposes a curricular change. This is a joke. Can we
develop education this way? Never. Unless we provide quality teachers with regular
monitoring mechanism, we can never improve. What immediate and long-term steps
are necessary to improve the sector? The government should really think
seriously about education. As an agricultural country, we have to produce manpower that
can contribute to better production. This should be given priority. The present system of
education should be overhauled. There should be at least one model school (k-12) in each
electoral sector with good teachers and facilities, which in turn, can work as a resource
center for other schools at the periphery. These schools should be made residential on the
basis of social equity and the government should be fully committed. Only then could the
country get the quality manpower it needs for development. The existing pattern of running
schools is not helping at all. Schools and colleges should be run by the private sector in
partnership with the government. |
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editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
