Gender Experience Idea- Exchange Programme; A summary

Even though the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990 has guaranteed all equal rights, a big chunk of the country's population, especially women and backward communities continue to be ignored by the society and the state.

Domino effect of negligence to the backward communities, dalits and women has triggered a huge social and economic imbalance thereby contributing violence in the country.

Exclusion of women and the downtrodden from developmental activities is the prime reason behind a tardy economic growth and social unrest; said social scientists and Kathmandu centered women activities.

Progress is not feasible by keeping the majority of the population away from the mainstream of development. This only instigates violence and social unrest, they say.

Speaking at programme on "Gender Experience in Nepal Idea Exchange," organised by Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung (FES) on September 26, experts, trade unionists and legal experts emphasized the need to ensure equal rights in real terms.

The programme organised with the objective of sharing ideas and experiences of various people working in the areas relating to gender development extensively discussed as how gender development programmes have been launched.

Representatives from various local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) explained their programmes on gender development. They also expressed their optimism for enhancing such programmes in association with the FES.

The development of a country is not possible without providing its citizens equal access to national resources, they said. How is the development possible by keeping more than 80 per cent people aside from the mainstream of the economic development? During the discussion, they also noted the reality of exploitation of women from women in various spheres of the society.

While women in far off districts like Jajarkot, Bajura or Ramechhap are deprived of basic health services and food, a handful of women in the urban areas taking benefits in the name of other women.

Economist and researcher Dr. Meena Acharya as a resource person said that the state should play a dynamic role in uplifting the status of women and downtrodden in the society.

Dr. Acharya while presenting her paper on " Gender Experience – Idea Exchange – Efforts at Promotion of Women in Nepal" said that attitudinal change was a must to bring about positive changes in the society although significant changes had taken place over the years.

The society is based on capital hence the attitude of women towards society will not change unless they have rights over the properties, said Dr. Acharya.

People are not development, but development should be for people, she said adding, " the deep rooted patriarchic feeling has affected Nepal's development paradigm.

She also said that the system of inheriting parental property has led to the disparity between man and women. She further said that the situation of women in backward community is more pathetic.

The role of media, trade unions and other social groups is vital in empowering women to a great extent. However, Dr. Acharya emphasised the need to increase the number of women in the areas where there is a need for women. Women understand the problem of women to a large extent, she said.

She categorically said that the development is not possible without bringing women and backward communities into the mainstream of development.

Dev Raj Dahal of the FES said that awareness among the people was important for economic and social development. Exclusion of a large number of people from developmental activities often triggers disparity, which ultimately causes social unrest and violence.

Development is possible only when everybody in the society has equal access to national resources.

Speaking at the programme, Dahal said the gender inequality and economic and social discrimination are major causes of backwardness.

According to Dahal deconstruction of the structural inequality springing from weak voice and visibility and poor representation of women in knowledge, research and discourse equally requires their participation in political communication because it provides a space in which citizens, irrespective of gender distinctions can define equal status.

Summary of a seminar on Gender Expericne Idea- Exchange Programme held on September 26, 2003 and Organised by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung—Chief editor.

The root of civic competence often lie on the edge of political consciousness

-Dev Raj Dahal, Kathmandu

Democracy in Action: Democracy requires participatory, rather than disciplinary (or even procedural), learning. Democratic theorists believe in the plurality of views where interests are mediated by free discussion of citizens. Participatory democracy ideally represents the aspirations of its citizens of all generations. A participatory democracy, however, requires the youth develop a spirit of social service and civic skills for public action. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990 and Local Self-Governance Act 1999 underline a policy of promoting the participation of diverse section of people in governance-- to enable them to enjoy the fruits of democracy and determine the type of development they want to pursue.

Local self-governance captures the plurality of local institutions from elected bodies at the village level to schools, health posts, post offices, people's cultural institutions to civil society and NGOs. This pluri-institutionl framework of governance has significant bearing on making and enforcing rules and effecting collective action. Although the community of youth has only status of civil society under law, it can create a legitimate space through the agreeable and equitable arrangements to influence the formal structure of governance. What they require is a process of collective choice. History has demonstrated that when a critical mass of youth asserts its power, a society prepares itself for inter-generational justice. In many remote parts of Nepal where critical mass is fundamentally amiss, even schools children continue serve as proxies for civil society and youths are demanding the responsiveness of the governance.

Local self-governance as Practical Training Center for Youths: Based on the principle of subsidiarity (decision should be carried out at the local level), local bodies are constituted as the foundation of democracy. Engagement of youth in local self-governance, helps them to articulate their perspectives, concerns and needs in the decision-making. Education means not just rote learning of books but also engaging youth to gain civic competence in the analysis of major institutions, social issues and contested power relations. It is also about and enhancing their ability to cope with social problems. In other words, it is a process by which subjects become citizens. Active participation in and a sense of belonging to local self-governance equally helps them to claim a glimmer of recognition of their political and national identity. This is important to transfer the identification of youth from a myriad of sub-systems ( religion, caste, gender, ethnicity, region, etc) to the national political system.

Civic Competence: The roots of civic competence often lie on the edge of political consciousness. Alienation of younger generation of citizens from democratic and development processes and suppression of their voice and visibility stripe them of their citizenship responsibilities. It loses their capacity to understand appropriate solutions to social problems, such as poverty, inequality, discrimination, ecocide, etc and pursue the project of common good. Such a condition hinders their transformation from non-contributing members into an attentive public. Modern education requires youths not to limit themselves only to socially constructed technical and professional role but also assume a "civic" one with the responsibility to bear the burdens of society and set the social change afoot with rationalist vision.

Public Purpose: Civic education for youth has an emancipatory potential, for it liberates them from the irrationality of tradition and enforces their accountability to society. Involvement of youth in local self-governance institutions--as learner, volunteer, voter, consumer and stakeholders helps them to conceptualize the workings of power at personal and institutional levels and instills in them political or public purpose of life. It gives force and substance to their rights and duties. Participation is a useful indicator of one's owns capacity for self-determination and identification with a political culture of active citizenship. This makes them capable of understanding society's larger context inseparable from ideology, power, authority, resource and institutions the aging generation so far is in effective control. It is this generation which continues to instrumentalize them for partisan political action. There is a need for political battle of the young to seize the prospects for themselves and also serve the needy communities.

Deliberative Public: Local self-governance institutions are laboratories for the training of future civic leadership and making them capable of understanding and undertaking public interests. Standing in the threshold of change, youths' exposure to the local self-governance means giving them better understanding of the social context where they live. The more closer the youth to local government, the better the conventional leadership are in a position to understand their needs or to respond them positively. Too much centralization of political power and professionalization of political and development processes are risks to de-centralization because it distances people from the functioning of political system and also de-links the utility of practical knowledge to reaffirm the theoretical foundation of education. Practical engagement of youths in their locality satisfactorily helps them to resolve the problem of praxis and achieve a new form of self-fulfillment.

Contextual Knowledge: Standard of education ought to reflect the requirement of the local and national diversity. Clearly, a society's power to compete in the knowledge-driven world explicitly depends on the knowledge about the Spirit of the Age and necessary skills and expertise of its youth to compete. Communities, schools and colleges are the best means to prepare younger generation of people to meet the challenges associated with the changes in the nature of jobs. Old may sense disquiet about the danger of politicizing youth. But their continuous depoliticization could place them on the losing side. Politicization process minimizes the costs for cooperation. Learning centers, such as schools, colleges and universities should not become disjointed institutions, they should become an organic part of Nepalese society where youth should learn the political purpose of education and learn about becoming sharers in the shaping of their own fates and dignity in tough circumstances.

Excerpts from the paper presented by the author at a FES sponsored seminar on "Civic Education: The Role of Youth in Local Self-Governance" NEFAS-FES, held on October 19, 2003, Kathmandu—Chief editor.

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