Free politics from educational spaces

Pokhara, as the second-largest city in the country, bears the responsibility of uplifting the country by contributing to the overall development of the nation. Comparatively, after Kathmandu, Pokhara has the best infrastructure for development. However, on the education front, Pokhara still struggles to lay a strong foundation, as many students from Pokhara are forced to leave for the capital to pursue higher studies. Ironically, students in Pokhara don’t show faith in the largest college in the city, named Prithvi Narayan Shah Campus. The campus offers diverse programs, drawing students mostly from neighboring districts. Founded in 1960, PN Campus has been a steadfast contributor to developing Nepal, as alumni of this grand institution are scattered throughout the country in different job positions. Affiliated with Tribhuvan University, PN Campus is the first choice for students from hilly areas such as Baglung, Syangja, Parbat, and likewise. To put it sharply, what makes them choose PN Campus is not its quality but its cheaper tuition fees. The results of the majority of faculties at PN Campus have been unarguably dismal, while only a few faculties produce good human resources capable of serving the job market.

The excellence of an academic institution is mostly measured by its academic results and enrollment rate. If we delve into the reasons for the low performances of students, the negligence of campus administration coupled with the political involvement of stakeholders come into the spotlight. PN Campus is one of the many colleges in the country grappled by politics. Just outside the main entrance gate of PN Campus, groupism between students of different political parties could be spotted. The political culture in educational institutes and its significance call for a huge debate; in recent times, experts have argued that healthy political practices in campuses do good to national politics while serving the students simultaneously. However, PN Campus is plagued by a harrowing political culture, as news of feuds and clashes surface every so often.

Let’s delve into how private colleges administer—they never allow students to form unions, thus keeping away the tussle and providing a healthy environment for learning. It is only in government colleges like PN Campus that student blockades transpire in the name of protest against various causes. And the spearheads behind such acts are partisan students who overlook the majority of the population attending college solely to study and march ahead in their pursuits. Not only students but teachers and others are found to be involved in politics, polluting the process of teaching and learning. Recently, the Education Minister, Sumana Shrestha, has put forward the statement that she is committed to removing politics from educational spaces.

It must be noted that the primary reason for establishing campuses is to impart quality education in an inclusive environment. Politics and other unions shouldn’t penetrate educational bodies to impair the learning process. It’s high time that largely populated colleges like PN Campus started focusing on education rather than on politics. Nepalese higher education is undergoing an imbroglio, severely impacted by the mass exodus of promising human resources. In such crises, colleges should regulate the activities going on inside the closed gates to gain the credibility of the general people and students especially.