National 9 (Spotlight Weekly)

Time Used Or Wasted?

What do children do during leisure time? Read on

By SHRIJAN KHADKA

Parents normally put their child into school from the age of three, hoping that one day he or she will become a socially acceptable adult. Parents start seeing great dreams. They want their children to become successful doctors, engineers, business executives or other mainline professionals who will bring greatness to the family and pride to the entire generation.

But have they ever tried to find out what actually goes on in the schools or colleges their children attend? More precisely, have the parents ever longed to know what their son or daughter does during leisure hours? How do the children utilize their valuable time after academic activities? Is that extra time spent on absurd gossip or on something creative?

School students : Formative years

As a student, I conducted a study at some renowned colleges of the country to get a general idea about what students actually do during leisure hours. At Little Angels College of Management, most of the students were found either in the cafeteria or involved in sports during leisure hours. Although the college has an impressive library, complete with essential books and magazines, few students were seen there during the break.

"I see only a few students in the library during the break," says David Koirala, coordinator of the BBA program. "They are seen mostly in the cafeteria during those hours, wasting their valuable time in personal gossip. Except for the senior students, the children are very rarely seen involved in discussions, debates, social work or research. Hardly anyone talks about current affairs."

Raja Timilsina, a BBA student, says, "We hardly talk about current affairs because we are not interested in this field." Why not? Koirala says proper utilization of the resources is also a part of the academic curriculum. "The students have to be motivated and the institution should also allocate sufficient resources for career-building purpose," he adds.

The situation is similar at Brihaspati Vidyasadan College of Business. "We either go to the canteen or play basketball," says BBS student Suman Pradhan. "We love to pass our leisure hours on absurd gossips."

Principal Kishor Maharjan says, "I have seen students mostly involved in sports. Apart from this, individual differences do persist among students in making a choice among various alternatives."He adds, "Idea build-up is also characterized by extra-curricular activities that go side by side."

Based on these two studies, a general idea can be drawn that students have not been making full and efficient use of their time. Who is to be blamed for this? The school management? The parents and guardians? Or the students themselves? In reality, these questions are far more serious than they sound.

That is why they have to be supplemented with the "why culture." Why has not the management been able to maintain control over this? Why have not parents been able to keep a proper eye on their children? Why have not the students themselves been sincere toward the proper utilization of their time?

We have to keep asking these questions until we get the proper answers that will help us take remedial action in time. Time wasted by students is ultimately the nation's loss.

(Shrijan Khadka is a BBA student at Little Angels College)