An irreparable negotiation for the future of our nation

It will be an imprudent anticipation, if our society hopes to bring an exemplary change or to climb a  progressive ladder to unprecedented steps. How is the education of our nation in its truest form? The  impartial answer can itself prophecy the future of our society. Let’s not probe the stance of privileged  education received by very few students in Nepal, the high majority of children are still getting an  inadequate wisdom in the mere illusion of education- notably in the rural parts of our country.  

The grass roots of our nation are failing to avail itself with the profound opportunity of today.  Although, there is a slight progress in the way of learning among the students of these parts in the past  few years, it is still nowhere near that landmark point which could in turn supersede the face of today’s  Nepal to a better, prosperous, and sustainable Nepal of tomorrow. I had the privilege of beholding the  depths of our country’s education when I conducted small informative sessions in a few secondary level  schools of Kapilvastu district. The informative sessions were mostly based on spreading awareness about literature, novel reading, and poetry reading culture in the schools near my hometown. 

It is no wonder that I found a deficit in creativity and the lack of great aspiration among these countryside students. This result shall be alarming to society because the pedestal of tomorrow is not  highly robust as they shall be to lead the nation in a praiseworthy notion.  

It was also seen that the students were ingrained with the typical aspiration of the same stereotypical  lifestyle that has been prevalent in these towns and villages for a long time. For many students of rural  towns, thinking about the professional career outside the confines of the small towns and nearby  cities seems to be a very big challenge; students are consciously escaping the thoughts of striving for such professional paths. At one instance, I also observed some secondary level students struggling to  comprehensively understand a simple literary excerpt of a novel: it shows how fragile these student’s  reading comprehension skills are.  

When around 5m students (data taken from “Source: Flash I Report 2011-015”, Ministry of  Education, Nepal) of our country are enrolled in community schools for basic level education (class 1-8),  showing indifference to the educational quality of government schools will yield serious  consequences for the nation. The fundamental education till the high school shall be the same everywhere  in terms of the quality offered to the students not merely in academic syllabus, but also in terms of  exposure to broad non-academic activities and personal growth initiatives. When we observe the gap  in education level of two students of Nepal, one coming from a privileged private school and society of  urban areas and another hailing from a normal government(community) school of some rural Nepal,  most of the time the gap is so bigger that there seems to be a time difference of decades in the  education both have received. Though the difference in educational quality is also observed in the  socially and economically advanced countries, the gap that we see in Nepal is way bigger in comparison  to the academic field of high caliber nations. 

Today, the ubiquity of resources has made it easier to close such gaps and it only takes a small step from the governing authority’s side, a small step from the school’s side, and a small step from the student’s side. The right guidance to the students from their surrounding can be propitious on  fostering the student’s intelligence, and ultimately leads the community towards excellence. We can  unequivocally profess that the same students of the remotest areas can bring extraordinary visions to  the table if they are nurtured in a liberal, ethical, passionate, and resourceful environment. ‘What is  needed for the change?’ nothing more than giving assurance to the students “Your talent and ability  are an invaluable jewel that you can use to craft your dreams in the canvas of prosperity”. But here is  the problem, the assurance shall not merely be vocal, it should be presented in an exemplary notion  through the many lenses that print pictures in the subconscious mind of growing children. 

These lenses are many more, but most salient lenses among them seem to be family atmosphere and  community’s principles as they surround the children all the time, and play a greater role in the  direction a child takes on his/her journey of education. The lenses of the rural Nepali community are fabricated with fragile glasses, so they are unable to project bigger and clearer images for students  relying on these lenses to draw the sketch of their ambitions and visions. The piles of improvements  that are pending in the field of education in our country are not trivial, and simple mitigation measures  or plans will not be applicable to the distinctive areas grappling with diverse factors or challenges. Still,  we cannot hope for a great revolution- at least not a great leap forward, but a small leap forward could be  possible. This merely necessitates the concerned people of the educational sector being ingrained in their  duty to provide the best education possible without segregating the resources, opportunities,  knowledge circulation to the students based on the factors such as socio-economic status, ethnic  background, or geographical settings.  

Let us start a small journey sparkled with a beautiful dream where all the people of our nation unite to  make the quality education possible for everyone. Not even a single child shall deviate from the waves  of intelligence and nor shall he be pushed away to the deserted land; Nourish each plant in the garden  of knowledge and fill their hunger with the fruits of wisdom. Once we follow this principle, we can all sleep beneath the tranquil sky knowing that our dreams will be showcased up in the clouds of reality  when we wake up. 

Birat Neupane

Undergraduate student 

St Xavier’s College, Maitighar