Nepal’s poisonous education system: leading the country’s future to a dead end

Mahesh saud 

One day during an economics class lesson on globalization, I asked a question my  professor. “Due to globalization and free market policies, Indian-produced vegetables are cheaper in our market. If I buy locally grown vegetables in the market, I have to pay 50 rupees per KG. However, Indian-imported vegetables cost RS. 25 per KG. In this situation, how can a student like me, who is studying away from home and living on rent, afford expensive Nepalese vegetables? If similar imported vegetables are available at a cheaper price in the same place, how can middle-class consumers afford to buy them? Who will buy the Nepalese (domestic) vegetables? If domestic products are not being sold, who will do farming ?”

Professor responded mockingly, “You are not a person who can afford expensive food.( त महङ्गो खाने लेभलको मान्छे होइनस )” I felt so dishonored and became speechless wondering what can we expect from such education systems and teaching methods which is offered and taught at our university.

Chinese philosopher Confucius said “If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees. If your plan is for 100 years, educate humanity.” This saying emphasizes the importance of long-term planning and education investment. A wise ruler will focus on creating sustainable policies and investing in their people’s education, rather than short-term gains. Last week, the Nepal Government presented the policies and programs for fiscal year 2080/081. The government’s promises are similar to last year, but have little chance of fulfillment. The government’s annual policy and program states that it will restructure universities and colleges by merging and splitting institutions as necessary. This parliament session will pass the Federal Education Act, which has already been delayed, to delegate power to provinces and local-level governments.

Present education system has several problems here outdated concept of education and the human resources cultivation and training model, students are weak in innovation and practice, we have irrational distribution of resources, irrational and irrelevant educational structure and layout, unbalanced development of urban, rural and regional area, there is great disparity between supply and demand, some Himalayan and hilly region has difficult for students to go to school due to weather geographical difficulties as well inadequate schools and absence of transportation, we have unsound education system as well as unsound policy and framework, elitism on education, privatization and classical liberalism on education in recent years we ensured that people can go to school but we have not ensured that people can go to good schools. There was a time when people believed that they could change their fate by studying hard. However, nowadays students increasingly believe that only power and money rather than their own efforts can change their fate. This prevailing attitude has lead to a new idea that study is useless, those who are undergraduates, Post graduates are facing unemployed their certificates are not being sold in market. And they’re doing blue color jobs in the Gulf countries. Many of the problems facing students in higher education have their roots in basic education. It’s necessary to reform the entire education system. The government’s annual policy and program states that it will restructure universities and colleges. However, unless and until top down reform is not combined with bottom top reform it cannot be developed effective reform. There is a great shortage of quality education. The education system, once considered a beacon of hope for the nation’s future, now seems to be leading youth down a path with no light at the end of the tunnel.

Present education will serve for next hundred years. So the education system should always foresight and visionary, should capable of problem solving and practical then theoretical. It’ should drive country’s towards economic and social development. People have high expectation about education reform and development in Nepal they are expecting to build a fair, just and harmonious Society through educational reform. Education is the grasp of the future  so the state should prioritize the education first and should adopt the policy of “resources allocation education first”  we most prioritize the strategic development of the education we most have to eliminate the urban – rural gap in compulsory education and should realization of balanced development of education we most have  adopt the core principle that all kinds of discrimination should be eliminated and should uplift all kinds of socially and economically backwards and minority groups for that’s we have to allocate resource in rational manner and balanced way. We most have to adopt different strategy to reach on one path the education is only one mean to ensure social justice and equality and but in Nepal mushrooming of private school after the democratic change in 90s neoliberalism and privatization policy of state makes education as  private good rather than public good the private owner and founder focused on their private good where as owner and principle acts as entrepreneur teachers acts as producer and students and parents as consumer. The key for their dominant over community and run their businesses was English-medium instruction, usually offered by private schools,  ‘the selling of dreams’ through their medium of instruction, are implicated in the reproduction and production of advantage in society. Schools that offer access to a high-status language are seen as offering better life chances for those who can take that language.  Study of different schools in Kathmandu has also highlighted the perceived role of English for greater chance of success.  In their study on privatization of education in Nepal, concur that use of English in the schools is one of the important factors in their popularity. English proficiency is simultaneously seen as ‘the key to a better future, an index of social capital, and a ticket out of Nepal’ . Therefore, the socially and economically advantaged groups increasingly prefer to send their children to private schools. Though the education statistics show a gradual progress in the education statistics, the disparities in education continue in different form.  Similarly this mentally has been spread and middle class  family also prefer their children to send private school at the same time government’s school being vacant governments teacher’s children were also sent on boarding. Private school are raising fee unto 30/40 thousand per month although government had issue the guidelines which also categories the corporate  school in to A, B, C and D and it differentiate fee rate according to their category. Which also proved that government itself elitism to the education. The corporate school raise the money from students on different topics where there is no proper monitoring over them. Elites rulings people’s children’s study in international standard school which is new form of elitism on education Like Rana period where the ruling elite (Rana) initiated the Western-style education to increase their ability to participate effectively in negotiations with other states, especially British India thought Durbar high school  at that time.

 

Regulation of private school is necessity for systematic operations of their school and they most be stopped by government’s to run them profit motive there should be adopted provisions of earing should be spent all on the student’s progress and the owner should run school on salary based system which will make them affordable to General public which will ensure to social equality and eliminate the elitism of education. And same time exploitation of teachers will be eliminated and they will get appropriate payment. Similarly the government of Nepal have adopted federalism but in practical it’s still a centralized system. In order to delegate the authority for formulating rules, regulations, control, supervision, and implementation to the provincial and local governments, the federal government should enact a new educational act. Which should be comprehensive.

 

In Fiscal year 70/71, total 28126 students had been taken permits to study in foreign countries. This scenario is devastatingly increasing per year. Over one lakh (1,02,504) students had been taken permits to study abroad in 78/79 similarly last fiscal year up to Falgun 79437 students chose to study abroad. Nepal has become a large student exporting country. This is because of getting quality education resources and youth choose to study abroad for higher education. This leads to severe quality and brain drain problem in the country. It’s of great importance to expand quality education and everyone should be treated equally in educational from the begging which is an important part of social equality right to be educated is a basic human right those who lack the opportunity to be quality educated are those who lack a future the government’s responsible for equality but it’s dominated by the macro political and economic system it’s impossible to achieve success when the reform of the social system and mechanism lags behind so therefore education reform should be considered against comprehensive background traditional approaches of gradual reform can’t meet today’s need. It’s of great importance to the new industrial revolution now technology adopts artificial intelligence and automation. AI and renewable energy laid the strong foundation of the new industrial revolution. In the age of digitalization the speed of global knowledge and technology innovation has accelerated. That’s why we won’t be able to achieve economic growth without adopting the new strategy of fostering the development of science, technology and education. It is indeed the purpose of science, technology, renewable energy, artificial intelligence and digitalization to play an important role in the development of society and the economy.

A comprehensive reform of education policy is essential to solve various problems in the education system. The reform should be research-based, practical, innovative and long-term oriented to promote country prosperity. Otherwise, the country will face a dead end with severe consequences.