The degree divide

During the time of my childhood, if someone asked me what I wanted to be in the future, I used to proudly answer “doctor” with sparkling face. I’m not sure how this career goal came to my mind, but even my parents used to have the same sparkle on their face.

With the passing of time, I grew up and passed through the so-called Iron Gate. In the same spirit and goal of being a doctor, I joined a +2 course in a good college with expectations of coming closer to obtaining the degree needed to reach my career goals. Eventually, I found the study of human biology, and even the anatomy of animals, too much for me. So I slowly changed my mind about becoming

a doctor. I started to look into another profession: nursing. But after my family claimed that the number of nurses was mushrooming, thus making it hard to find work in a competitive job market, I was quite discouraged. After that, despite everyone’s doubts, I chose another path and took up a programme of study in the field of social work.

Subsequently, I have been again and again asked the same question that used to be posed to me during my childhood: What do you want to be in the future? My answer has shifted to “I will be a good social worker and serve my society.” Most people who hear me grant me a smile, but behind their non-verbal approval many seem to harbour some feelings of supremacy and look down on my chosen profession. But still, throughout my first and second years in school, I stayed true to my desire to be a social worker.

But now, as I near the end of my final semester before I earn my bachelor’s degree, I am again faced with uncertainty. I know I will have to face the same pressure after I graduate when a slightly modified question is posed to me, “Where will you be working?” This time, I am afraid I am going to be blank and confused. In the positions for students of social work, it will be difficult to find a job against the many applicants with varied backgrounds.

My own brother used to be a student of humanities. Now he is working in the field of hospitality management and even dabbles in his office’s accounts section too. I have seen several engineers working in different types of NGOs in positions that have nothing to do with their field of study. So what about those people who spend their time, money and energy to complete their studies in a particular field with the intention of landing specific jobs? If they are given to just anyone, regardless of course of study, what jobs will be available for those who earned the appropriate degrees? Are these degrees worthless?

People don’t always get jobs according to their qualifications. They often get positions that demands skills that fall far outside what they have prepared for. Why there is such a mismatch between degrees and professions. Is it the system, fate or something else?
by: Pramila Bisunke(The Kathmandu post)

After graduation

What are you going to do after your graduation? It is the most obvious question that graduate and post-graduate students hear from their near and dear ones during the end of their academic careers. Some of them may answer that they will go back to their hometown and find suitable jobs. Some may say they are going to continue studying, and some of them may have a strong desire to step in foreign lands to learn and earn. These are the opinions and dreams of students who pursue their studies in Kathmandu with various dreams for their future.

One of my seniors at college went back to his home town, Bhairahawa, after completing his Master’s Degree almost three years ago. In the beginning, he worked for an academic institution. But now, he is running his own

higher secondary school. He is also enjoying his family life. Some people in the younger generation believe that we should invest our knowledge and skills in our own country.

Similarly, there are some young folks furthering their studies as well as, just to try to make money so that they can be financially independent. A BBA graduate I know is doing his Master’s in Economics as well as working in a communication-based private company in Kathmandu. Other graduates I know have gotten jobs working in NGOs/INGOs and government offices. In these youth, the spirit of independence is evident. The other day, one of my post-graduate friends commented on Facebook: “Hey guys! Look at the London Bridge in the background of my profile picture.” And he was congratulated by many of his friends. I could remember his strong desire to go abroad, especially to Europe, from the start of our academic session. And finally, he achieved his destination. Nowadays, going abroad is a very popular and glamorous thing to do for the youth of our country. Moreover, many say that they like the rapid pace of life and technology in developed countries.

However, there are some graduates who are still unemployed. Some of them wait for the right opportunity to come along. Some are still dealing with confusion about their career path. And some of them do not miss a chance to condemn political leaders and blame political instability for their unemployment. I have seen some very bright minds wasting their time in tea shops talking about political fuss the whole day. If we all join this type of mob, we will see higher levels of frustration and depression. My friend’s father says, “Today’s generation is highly ambitious.” He adds, “They want to achieve too many things as soon as possible.”

What I came to know is that whatever we wish and dream it can turn into reality if we stay true to our goals and work hard. All these events and anecdotes taught me to stay honest to my dreams and desires. We may face ups and downs, not only in our academic life but also in career path. But life is a result of the way of living we choose.

source: Suman DC, The Kathmandu Post

Rs 35 million Indian aid for campus

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu today singed a Memorandum of Understanding with District Development Committee and Shree Bhimodaya Multiple Campus, Aruchanaute VDC of Gorkha district for providing India grant assistance of Rs 3.54 crores for the construction of campus building and provision of furniture under the Nepal-India Economic Cooperation Programme.

According to the embassy, this is the sixth development project in Gorkha being undertaken with the assistance of Indian government under small development projects.

Shree Bhimodaya Multiple Campus is providing bachelor-level education to over 1,200 students, about half of whom are girls.

With the number of students increasing every year, the campus is facing difficulties in accommodating the students.

The new infrastructure being created with the assistance of India will provide well-equipped infrastructure to the students and enable the campus to meet the requirements of increasing number of students, the embassy said in a statement.

The project will be implemented by DDC, Gorkha and it will be responsible for quality and timely completion the project.

An oversight committee has been constituted to ensure community participation in overseeing the projects for their effective and timely implementation.
source:THT

75 pc attendance must to appear in SLC examination

The government has set a new criteria for students of School Leaving Certificate (SLC) Exam to be applicable from the next academic session.

Students of community and institutional schools must now have at least 75 per cent attendance in grade ten to be eligible to appear in the SLC exam.

The sixth amendment of Education Regulation 2011 has encoded this provision to make students regular.

Janardan Nepal, joint secretary, Ministry of Education (MoE) said this provision intended to make students regular. Nepal added, “We received complaints that the quality of community schools was not good, but how can government education be qualitative if students don’t attend classes full time?”

He said the rule would help improve the quality of government schools. According to an MoE report, total student enrolment in secondary level was 790,348 in 32,130 schools of the country.

Private and Boarding Schools Association of Nepal (PABSON) said the rule was not applicable to students of private schools.

Bijaya Sambahamphe, general secretary, PABSON said the issue was secondary as 95 per cent private school students have 100 per cent attendance.

He said, “In private schools, we make sure that we take classes for more than 240 days a year because that is how private school calendars are like while the total school days a year is only 180 days as per government rules.”

Meanwhile, this rule is not applicable to students of distant education. In the case of distant education, the a different set of directives will be applicable for students. source:THT

Career counselling

Today there are plenty of new career opportunities available, which not only attract students but also lays the future prospect. But before choosing the right kind of career for oneself requires a little bit of research. For that students do not have to run around, simply just search on the net. Another good place to look would be career supplements and specials that come with daily papers. These will give them an idea of the careers that are popular at the moment, along with the finer details like ideal courses, institutes, fees, how to apply, future prospects, etc.

In today’s world—students cannot afford to forget the rapidly changing job market. When they are planning a career a few years from now—they need to know whether that particular line would still be popular at that point of time. Would the skills they need change? How different would things be? Of course, one can never come up with the perfect answer—but it’s necessary to keep these things in mind. It’s important to set the right goal at the right time. The importance for reliable advice is emphasized because it will create big impact once the moment arrives where the student decides on what to do with his/her life after college. Gone are the days when graduates can easily find work. In order to get a stable or a high-paying job, one must have a good track record. So, ask yourself these questions —what courses or training I have to do in order to get the job I want? What working style or skills I have to learn? What kind of part-time job or internship I have to do? Once they find out the answer to the above questions they will have a powerful career plan sitting right in front of their eyes. Once students take up a course, they should give full commitment to it from day one. Do not fall for any kind of distraction lest they should pay for them with their career. Try best to improve the percentage as it is the one factor based on which they could be short-listed by companies.

The job market looks out for students who can cater to the requirements of their job profile, which lie reasonably above the knowledge gained from their course content. With the trend of online counseling, things have become more smooth. The counselor gets invaluable insights into their personality, and is able to draw a logical conclusion, and advise them on range of careers. BIBEK RAJ ADHIKARI

Education, key to development: VP

 Vice President Paramananda Jha has stressed the need for time-bound education programmes for country's development and sustainable peace. Appropriate, time-bound and right education policy is needed for the development of the country, he said while inaugurating 11th general assembly of Kathmandu branch of Private and Boarding Schools' Organisation Nepal (PABSON).
Right education and vision is needed to transform and develop the country and for this, the state is looking for the contribution of those active in the education sector, he said. "Collaboration and partnership should be developed to remove malpractices prevailing in the education sector." 
At the function, Central Chairman of PABSON Rajesh Khadka said that the state should scrap education tax.
Chairman of National Private and Boarding Schools' Organisation of Nepal (NPABSON), Subash Neupane, said that private schools are affected by education tax, bandhs and donation terror. RSS
source: ekantipur

Stakeholders for solution to pvt school fee structure

The representatives from different educational organisations stated that the authorities must find a permanent solution to the problems relating to fee structures in the private schools by holding discussions with the concerned stakeholders.

They said at an interaction that the classes in schools got disturbed every year due to a row over the fees between the private schools and student wings of the political parties.
The speakers said that the decisions of the organisations of the students and teachers affiliated to the UCPN-Maoist to stop the new registration of private schools and close the schools being run by Maoist leaders was impossible.

Rajesh Khadka, president of Private and Boarding School Nepal (PABSON), said that the Education Ministry must clarify whose children could learn at the private schools if the wards of government officials and leaders could not.

Khadka added that the government must protect the people’s investment in the education sector.
Gita Rana, president of National Private and Boarding School Nepal (N-PABSON), said that they were ready to accept the government’s decision regarding the fee structure.
"It is thus futile to make fee as an issue of debate," she said.

Guna Raj Lohani, president of the All Nepal Teachers Association, said they were ready to protest against the registration of new private schools.Jagrit Rayamajhi, vice-chairman of the All Nepal National Independent Students Union Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), said they requested their party leaders to close their schools.

Rajaram Khakurel, joint secretary of Education Department, informed that the ministry was at the last stage to publish the regulations about the monitoring of private schools, which would solve the problem of fee structure.Khakurel said that if someone wanted to registered new schools according to the rule, the employee must be ready to register them.

Gopilal Nepane, education expert, stated that private school owners had right to open the new schools and take the fee, but the fee must be reasonable.

source:rising nepal

A Proposed Quality Management System:Model for Nursing Education Institutions

The demand for higher education has increased worldwide and the response has been an impressive expansion of educational offerings both within and across countries. Given the deepening global nursing shortage, many countries are seeking ways to increase the number of qualified nurses within their own borders (Carty, Moss, Al-Zayyer, Kowitlatwakul, & Arietti, 2007).

Therefore, the National League for Nursing (2003) provided a clear and compelling directive for nursing education. It recommended dramatic reform and innovation in nursing education to create and shape the future of nursing practice. Faculty, students, consumers and nursing personnel must work in partnership to design innovative educational systems that meet the needs of the healthcare delivery system now and in the future.

In this context, there is a dearth of evidence on the impact of quality management system to school and student outcomes. It can also be inferred that not much work has been done to determine how faculty and school profiles, school characteristics and quality management system influence performance measures of nursing education institutions on NLE school performance and employability of the graduates.

No quality management system model has been proposed utilising significant findings from an outcome study that can be used as an operational framework in a given nursing education institution. The study utilised the descriptive research design. Samples of the study were faculty members conveniently selected from private, and public nursing education institutions (N=530). A questionnaire survey was the primary tool used that underwent test-retest reliability. 0.91 reliability correlation coefficients were noted, thus instruments were highly reliable. Panel of experts were consulted to validate the survey constructs. The research tool comprised of four parts. Multiple regression analysis stepwise procedure with entry and removal values of 0.05 and 0.10, respectively, was used to treat the data.

There was a positive association of the highest education completed on quality and performance measures. Doctoral and post-doctoral level in nursing are needed to enhance quality of care, improve health outcomes and contribute to the further development of the nursing discipline, nursing knowledge and evidence-based practice in clinical settings.

Position in the workplace, years in the institution and monthly income directly influence the performance of most faculty members. School type, school management structure and organisation, teaching methodologies and resources, effective classroom management, effective supervision of instruction and administrators, student services and support programmes also directly influence the performance measures as noted in most institutions.

Accreditation ensures a basic level of quality in the education one receives from an institution and provides an assurance that the educational activities of an accredited institution or programme have been found to be satisfactory and, therefore, meet the needs of the students and a prerequisite in many cases for undertaking licensure for a profession.

Moreover, leadership is an important indicator of quality. Leadership supports and rewards faculty collaboration for teaching, scholarship and service. Effective leaders create an environment that encourages faculty and staff to engage in reflective thinking and critical analysis of professional contributions and programme outcomes.

The main limitation of this study is that it did not include all nursing education institutions nationwide. Longitudinal study for a five- and ten-year period of school outcomes and performance evaluation in classroom and clinic would also measure the school progress in national licensure examination and employability of graduates.



Relevance of Article in Nepali Market
Recent media reports have indicated that there are serious issues with Nursing Education in Nepal. These issues relate to quality of infrastructure and also the kind of depth in the education system. Nursing colleges should focus, not only in the techincal edcuation, but also in management education. With booming healthcare expansion in Nepal, quality of nursing also must go hand in hand. Therefore, research findings used in context of Philipinse can be adopted in the Nepali market to a great extent. The service marketing area included in Management Education can be higly relevant for Nursing career.
Shrestha is a research student (Ph. D.) at The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton source: The Kathmandu Post

Platypus' adventures well received here

The three-day long musi cal show sPlat organised by the Australian production company The Style Group in collaboration with Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School (SMDBS) staged at SMDBS, Bouddha from January 14 to 16 was a show full of fun and excitement.
The children's musical show sPlat is all about the e adventures of an animal named Platypus, who sets off on a journey to learn the val ues of life and later puts e them into practice. Written h and directed by Australian g couple Phil and Jodi t Tweed, the musical and songs are part of the Values l Education curriculum in Australia that has been ap l plied in the UK too.

A team of Australian chil dren and students from SMDBS together with teachers had worked for the production and staging of the musical.The show started with a musical performance by Phil Tweed and his friends. After the musical performance, the staging of the musical began. In the 45-minute play, there were six different scenes that showcased the journey of Platypus that starts from platypus colony to the barn yard, then to the ducks camp and ends at platypus colony.
The audience was excited and cheered after watching the performance.The school's former principal Khenpo Chonkyi Rangdrol highlighted the contribution of Thrangu Rinpoche, the school's founder. "The establishment of the school by Rinpoche has provided an opportunity for the children of the Himalayan region of Nepal to get an education.

Also this has been an effective medium to preserve the Himalayan culture, language and the Buddhist way of life."
-Kelsang Lama, BA IIIrd Year, Sagarmatha Multiple College, Boudha,Tinchuli

A Little Exra: Moulding students into leaders by giving them responsibilities to shoulder that prepares them for life beyond college

Moulding students into leaders by giving them responsibilities to shoulder that prepares them for life beyond college
Do our college students go to college just for studies? Of course not. Besides their studies, many participate in extra-curricular activities of the college. And students are not just partcipants in these activities.
They are major forces in most colleges organising, coordinating and successfully conducting such activities. Be it a welcome party, quiz contest, sports event, food festival, concert, seminar or any other event, it is the students who are in charge of the event right from the scratch. This trend of handing responsibility by the colleges to students can be viewed as an important opportunity for the students to hone their talent helping them make themselves more competent and saleable in the market of the future.

Towards leadership
Any extra-curricular activity at the White House School of Hotel Management (WHSHM), Khumaltar is almost synonymous to Rabindra Singh. Studying Bachelors of Hotel Management (BHM) IIIrd Year here, Singh's presence is inevitable during any event for he is the one who has to coordinate and manage any event that takes place in his college.

"Be it sports competition, musical event, food festival or any other extra-curricular activity, I am handed over the responsibility as the event manager or event coordinator," shared Singh as he was the one who introduced the trend of organising welcome and farewell party in the college.
The winner of Mr Kathmandu 2009, Singh shared, "While working as event manager and event coordinator at college, I have to work as the team leader of the event management committee, and have to make policies and take decisions."
For Pradip Raj Giri, a Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) VIth semester student at Kadambari Memorial College (KMC), Shankhamul, coordinating events at college "has proved beneficial for him".
It was Giri who coordinated the National Consultation Meeting on Government Environmental Governance Programme organised by KMC in collaboration with Yale University, USA a few months ago. "While working as coordinator, one does not need to follow others' directives. Rather you have to make decisions, direct and mobilise others." Exposure and networking "Marketing is the most important thing while organising any event," opined Priyanka Bathwal, Bachelors of Business Information System (BBIS) IIIrd Year student at Little Angeles College of Management (LACM). Bathwal "who was an introvert till her intermediate level" at present works as Marketing Head when any extra-curricular activities take place in her college. "My major responsibilities are identifying sponsors, preparing proposal letters, approaching organisers, convincing them and getting funds for sponsoring the events," revealed Bathwal, who has made large group of friends both inside and outside college.

"Taking responsibility means increased exposure and a large network of friends. It has also boosted my confidence level," opined Bathwal who finds this opportunity "beneficial for her studies as well as career in the future".
Freedom with responsibility
In most cases, colleges provide logistic support to the students, while students are given the overall responsibility to mange, coordinate and organise any event. As such there are no strict rules and regulations for them to follow.
"We mobilise our students keeping the principle freedom with responsibility in mind. Students are free to work in their own way. The only condition is that they should be responsible," said Dr Bala Raj Nikku, Founding Director of KMC.

Dr Nikku who regards students as "prime stakeholders of any event organised for them" added, "Such involvement in college life helps students develop their life skill.
When they graduate from college, they will be competent enough to create jobs for others rather than searching for a job for themselves."

Facing challenges But shouldering responsibility is not always an easy task. Besides dealing with teachers and college administration, students need to mobilise their own friends during such events. "Most of the time friends are helpful, but sometimes there is conflict as a few friends turn disobedient and do not complete their assigned tasks on time," shared Bathwal, who deals with such friends by "counselling, convincing or using any other technique depending upon the nature of individual student".

Many assume that involvement in other activities during student s life may spoil their studies. But it is s not true for Singh, who has always been the topper in his college. "I al locate time and effort to each sec tor as per the need because of which I am successful in each secs tor," shared Singh, who has his own s event management company.

Even his father Lachhi Singh is " happy with his son's achievements.

"He is good in his studies as well as extra-curricular activities. He has handled the challenge being com mitted and responsible," shared the father.

source: The Himalayan Times, 27 Jan 2011

Admission Open January 2011

Cell phones forbidden in school

BAJURA: Though it comes as bad news to students and teachers of Malika Higher Secondary School, the school administration deems it inevitable for quality education.

Harried by the increasing use of cellphones in the school, the administration has prohibited students from carrying cell phones to schools, while teachers are not allowed to use cell phones.The teachers, however, can carry their cell phones to school.

The school administration said that it took the decision in the wake of increasing use of mobile phones in classrooms which hampered their studies.

According to Janakraj Jaisi, a teacher, the school administration was compelled to enforce the prohibitory rule as number of students using mobile phones in the classrooms was on the rise and studies were hampered a lot.”

There are about 2,000 students in the school.
source: The Himalayan Times

Education office teaching teachers a lesson

DIPAYAL: A probe has been initiated to take action against teachers who have employed their proxies at various schools in the far western region.

According to Far-West Regional Education Directorate Chief Lakkhan Thapa, his office has directed education offices under the Directorate to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. The move follows widespread complaint that quite a few schools had proxy teachers while those appointed ones were working somewhere else.

“We will take action if anyone found guilty,” said Thapa, adding, “The civil society should also bring such issues to our notice and help us discourage such ill-practices.”

The Directorate has asked its source persons to find out the number of proxy teachers in their respective areas and report to it.

Bajura District Education Officer Surendra Parajuli said his office took action against five teachers on the charge of keeping proxy teachers. According to him, the office took internal action and has blocked their remuneration.

Doti CDO Lokmani Joshi informed that the office has found one proxy teacher in Gajari VDC to date.

“Action will initiated after we receive a report from across the district,” added Joshi. In Accham too, proxy teachers have been found working in place of those who had the official appointment.

source: The Himalayan Times

The world of words

One of my friends condemned me for the amount of time I spend reading literary magazines and books. He argued that there is no point in wasting extra time on such unnecessary activities. To him, reading is limited to what you are assigned to study in textbooks. I am currently looking for books to prescribe him—ones that could brainwash his attitude towards the world of words.

Books are not just useful to score grades and earn certificates. That’s not where the true worth of reading is to be found. Of course each career field has one canon of books necessary to exhibit the confidence and authority needed to land a job. But as human beings, we need more information and ideas about cross-disciplinary faculties.

A particular textbook alone cannot serve the universal character of life. Literature pervades every novel discovery and blurs the conventional mind and sensibility. We need not join a school of liberal arts to study the subject; we can always read selected fiction, biographies, plays, poetry and even non-fiction independently. These may contribute to the expansion of our thoughts and actions.

Many people consider leisurely reading a loss of time. But this just seems like an excuse to escape from the world of words. Everyone is busy in his or her own world; it is hard for people to manage extra time to read. But one needs to infuse their routine with reading to turn it into a daily habit. For instance, you can arrange just a couple minutes before or after a meal to flip through the pages of a new book. You can also do a little bit of reading before you take a bath, and then again after. We need to admit our inevitable defeat if we are not adequately equipped with the appropriate knowledge. Prejudice and lack of knowledge do nothing for the everyday affairs of our society and nation. It is through books that we can stay in touch, but also learn about historical ideas and debates. Books are those friends who never betray us. But books do not provide readers with every necessary skill; we should not expect more than their limits and must also gain practical knowledge outside the written text. Pretending that we are full of knowledge after reading a book or two is not only fallacious, but also misleading. 

I conclude here with a story about the limitations of books. A self-proclaimed prophet used to consider himself a know-it-all. He was filled with pride and a sense of superiority. He often treated other individuals with contempt. One day he began to boast of his intellect while on board a boat. Surprised, the ferryman listened to his bellowing with interest. 

Suddenly, a hurricane blew and turned their boat upside-down. The ferryman could save himself because he had swimming skills. But the bookish man died due to the lack of practical knowledge of swimming. This teaches us not to be pompous about bookish intellect. Books are a means of wisdom and should be valued, but they are not all that you need. So enjoy your time reading books, but avoid pride and pretense. Let us surrender to the magnetic world of words.

source: Basanta Basnet, The Kathmandu Post

UK education discussed

As a part of its initiative to inform students, guardians and stakeholders of opportunities and challenges of UK education, Global NepaliPatra Publications on Monday organised an interaction in the Capital.

Addressing the programme, Education Minister Sarbendra Nath Shukla said the government was all set to introduce an Act to address the problems of Nepali students willing to pursue higher education abroad.

Stating that 250 students were leaving for a foreign country for study every month, Shukla said, “The government has launched a training programme to students willing to study abroad.”

On the occasion, Minister Shukla felicitated a central member of the Non Resident Nepali Association, Rajen Kandel, who is also the managing director of South London College, on behalf of ECAN.
source:The Kathmandu Post

A new class of teachers

Replacing old teachers and recruiting new, young faces in Nepal’s public schools could be the first step in revamping the public education system. At a fundamental level, however, we need to revamp the dehumanising relationship between teachers and students.

Taplejung’s only college, Pathibhara Multiple Campus, has seen a huge shift in enrolment among the humanities, management and education faculties, Kantipur reported on Jan. 21. Of around 400 students, only 31 entered the fields of humanities and management, while the rest enrolled at the Education Department. The History Department closed down two years ago after students were no longer enrolling in the programme. The hopes of obtaining employment quickly after graduation might have led to this shift, the college administration head, Matrika Nepal, was quoted as saying in the paper. Perhaps, it’s just a coincidence that a recent cabinet decision has paved the way for the voluntary retirement of around 40,000 of the 109,000 permanent teachers in Nepal’s public schools. It is not clear whether these 40,000 potential retirees will be replaced by new recruits. But if that does happen, it might be a good opportunity to revamp Nepal’s public education system. For one, new recruits will naturally be young faces. Many believe that having new, fresh faces in the nation’s schools will help revive the lost glory of the public education system. Something that, at present, is woefully unsuccessful when it comes to imparting a meaningful education. The old heads are too stuck in their routine and too old to learn new ways, it is argue.

But the challenges are much deeper than the lack of young faces. One of the main challenges is to establish new relationships between teachers and students.

“It was so hard,” my mom once told me about her first experience at the newly opened school in her maternal home in one of Tanahun’s interior mountain villages. “I was always scared of the teacher. He would have a big stick in his hand. And somehow, we were made to do uth-bas (stand-up-sit-downs) several times everyday—even for minor faults.”  The teacher would sit in a chair, and we would sit on the floor. Don’t forget, we had to bring our own chakati, she added.

That was over five decades ago and as a nation we had just started our tryst with modernity. The wind of revolution was blowing all around. Democracy had come. Development projects had begun to spread. People began to get used to the new vocabularies of life. The enlightened had begun to spread their new-found wisdom of the need to teach their children. Many found their enlightenment in Benaras, some in Kathmandu.

During the last five decades, we have become a schooled society. Though schools have varied widely in terms of their ability to instil creativity, there seems to be general societal consensus that everybody needs to go to school. We can say schooling—sending kids to school, making them learn through books—has become a broad, societal obsession. No patriotic citizen would shy away from promoting schools. Pandits have no trouble raising millions through dhanyanchal utsavas for schools. Building schools has become one of the most lucrative construction activities—both for contractors and bureaucrats.

But along our journey, we have created schools that teach very little in the way of creativity and innovation. To create, one has to keep asking questions—even absurd questions. In fact, young kids learn by asking all kinds of questions—at times ridiculous ones. A good teacher’s job is to encourage students to ask questions—something the image of club-wielding  teachers has kept students from doing.

The educational system we inherited was designed for what we might call the age of industrial certainty. Industrial progress became our goal—couched as modernisation—and the role of public education was to mould citizens into cogs of the industrial machine. Whether we like it or not, this industrial machine lies sordidly out of sync with both the human desire for creativity as well as the earth’s capacity to regenerate ecologically. While our students are less and less skilled in terms of actually creating something, we are faced with one crisis after another all around us: climate change, degraded urbanscapes, and a phenomenal amount of rubbish on our roadsides and backyards, to name a few. Extreme weather events have become the order of the day all around—from the Arctic to Australia. Whether we like it or not, the fossil-fuel based industrial life is not viable anywhere on earth. To a large extent our ability to deal with these issues will be largely determined by the nature of our education system—not by what percentage of students passed SLC exams or how many could get admission to universities in the US or Europe.

The challenge of being a good teacher, therefore, has become one of instilling creativity in students to live in a post-industrial (or for us non-industrial), ecological future. That means letting students explore and ask questions. That means helping them discover their place in an ecological context. What kinds of insects live here? Or where do the birds lay their eggs? This means exploring skills that are required to make a living without destroying the earth. Which is only possible by letting kids explore their world unencumbered. Teachers have assumed the role of all-knowing monarchs for far too long. Many relish in that role. After all, having command over hundreds of young kids is no less a source of power for some. Some even get pleasure (sadism is what it is called) out of inflicting pain on kids.

The recruitment of tens of thousands of new, young faces into Nepal’s public education system is a welcome goal—but will these faces be able to shed the deeply ingrained club-wielding and all-knowing aura? That is perhaps the most important question.

SOURCE: Anil Bhattarai ,eKANTIPUR

Admission open for MBA(Finance) from Uniglobe College; Application Deadline:feb 3, 2011

Admission open for MBA(Finance) from Uniglobe College; Application Deadline: feb 3, 2011

TU to regularise calendar by 2014

Tribhuvan University (TU), the oldest university in Nepal is planning to regularise its academic calendar by the year 2014.Irregularities in the TU academic calendar affect thousands of students across the country every year. As a result, a one-year course takes two years to complete, while sometimes students are not taught the full credit hours.

Ramesh Joshi, deputy controller, Office of the Controller of Examinations, TU, said the university is preparing a master plan to regularise its academic calendar within two years.

According to OCE, the academic calendar became irregular after 2006 when students were preparing for the 11-day-long Jana Andolan-II to dissolve monarchy and bring democracy in the country.

Joshi said, “We could not run classes, distribute forms or conduct exams at that time due to students’ protests.”

He said, “We will regularise engineering and other technical subjects under TU by June this year,” adding, “We will also try to maintain the academic calendar of all other subjects by 2013.”

Currently, TU completes the annual course first and distributes forms for the annual exam. Students are given one-month to fill the form. OCE then publishes the exam notice.

“But now we will complete the course and take exam within nine months after the academic session and publish results in the next three months,” he added.

He said, “We conducted Intermediate second year exam on June 7, 2009, but we will conduct the exam by mid May this year to regularise the calendar.”

He also stated that TU would adopt the latest technology to enhance and speed up services.

TU is preparing to decentralise the examination and result distribution to maintain the calendar and to provide easy access to students.

TU has its regional offices in four districts, namely, Biratnagar, Pokhara, Nepalgunj and Mahendranagar.

He said, “We are preparing to distribute the transcript and mark-sheet from our regional offices.”

source: The Himalayan  Times

Technical scholarship quota to go up

Scholarship aspirants in technical fields will be getting more opportunities for. Ministry of Education is to gather scholarship quotas for higher education in various technical degrees from private run colleges for disadvantaged students.

A few private medical colleges have provided 10 per cent scholarship to the ‘basket’ of scholarship quota, however MoE said several other medical and technical education colleges are yet to follow the MoE rule of 10 per cent scholarship quota. The scholarships, mostly in medical course are to be added along with other technical fields like engineering and nursing. Of the eighteen medical colleges in the country, colleges running on foreign investment have to offer 20 per cent scholarship seats.

Under secretary at the higher education section at MoE Laxman Khanal said once all colleges follow the rule, they would have more scholarship quota, adding “About a dozen quotas in Engineering and Nursing are sure to be added in the basket for the next academic session.”

“We have recently directed all private university officials to provide the mandatory scholarship to MoE,” informed Mahashram Sharma, joint secretary at MoE.

He added that Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences and Purbanchal University affiliated colleges are yet to offer scholarships as per the agreement.

MoE awarded MBBS scholarship to 202 students, Bachelor of Dental Studies (BDS) scholarship to 16 students and about a dozen scholarship for Bachelor in nursing this year. Some 5204 candidates competed for the scholarship this year for MBBS.

Every year a dozen private colleges come into operation offering a wide array of subjects in the technical field.

source:The himalayan Times

Competition Tool To Reforming Private Schools

 The student organisation affiliated to the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist has sent inimical signals to private school operators in the country. The All Nepal Independent Students Union (Revolutionary) - the pro-Maoist student outfit that recently elected new central office bearers - has decided to ask the government not to allow the registration of new private schools and will oppose tooth and nail should the government go for it. Moreover, the student outfit has asked the Maoist leaders, in particular, not to send their children to private schools as this flouts the norms and principles upheld and espoused by the party to discourage the privatisation and commercialisation of education. Even the teachers who are employed in government-funded educational institutions send their children to private schools.

There is no denying that private schools, as alleged by the pro-Maoist student organisation, have given rise to several anomalies and social distortions, which need to be rectified and corrected. However, the moot point to be considered is why have the distortions afflicted the education sector incessantly? The issue to be sorted out is whether it is the private sector’s participation or the lack of an effective mechanism to deal with the educational institutions run and operated by the private sector that is at the root of the problem. Perhaps it is not private initiation and partnership but the lack of an appropriate mechanism that can be faulted for the anomalies seen in the education sector. A properly enabled and regulated private sector and its capital investment can contribute meaningfully in raising the quality of educational institutions.

Experiences from the developed world have shown that the best and specialised educational institutions have been the results of private management backed by a sound and supportive policy of the government. At a time when the government-aided schools are in poor shape and have not shown any good results, posing hurdles on the way of private sector participation in education development will be counterproductive in this country. In order to reform the education sector it is necessary to ensure that the schools funded by the state coffer perform better while putting pressure on the private schools to correct the distortions and reform.

source:rising nepal

A failed university

Like most examinations conducted by Tribhuvan University (TU), the one for sociology (masters programme), at 10 constituent campuses across the country, has not taken place yet. Scheduled for November 2010, the paper was disrupted by union students at Pashupati Multiple Campus under the pretext that its questions did not come from the prescribed syllabus. Students at TU’s commerce faculty-Nepal Commerce Campus- too find timely examinations missing from their calendars, but at least they have a confirmed date after its postponement.  “We will be sitting for exams 20 months after enrolling in college,” says Sandeep Sharma, who will be attending his commerce exam on the last week of February. “It will take five years to complete a mere three-year programme.”

Despite being the oldest university in the country with regional and international recognition, TU’s standing today has fallen far behind its regional peers. “It was only a decade ago when the institution was reputable in South Asia,” says Tirtha Khaniya, educationist at the National Planning Commission. “But a dysfunctional academic calendar and lack of civility among union students has degraded the university to being centre for anarchy.”

Recently, members of the UCPN (Maoist) affiliated ANNISU(R) made TU officials succumb to their demands through physical threats- an exam scheduled for Dec. 6 was cancelled on the excuse that the parties were conducting internal elections. “This shows the domination of party members here and how fearful it is to work in the university,” Khaniya said. The protracted academic calendar of the university evidently has its roots in the excessive politicisation of student unions.

Politics has influenced the university since its establishment, and was prevalent in every period- from the panchayat to the democratic period post 1990. But with the coalition government in 2006, the main administrative positions of the university-that of the Vice Chancellor, the Rector and the Registrar- were made to be shared by different political parties, and remained vacant due to a lack of consensus between them. “TU had to operate without officials for a whole year as political parties failed to forge a consensus,” said education expert Bidhya Nath Koirala.

Pradeep Nepal of CPN-UML, during whose tenure as Ministry of Education the sharing of the posts took place, claims to have been against making them a field for power games, but that his efforts were futile at a time of coalition governance. “I agree that politicising these posts have had an adverse effect on academics, but pressure from the coalition parties left me with no choice.”

Ex Rector Mahendra Kumar Singh has a different take on the issue: “TU hasn’t been able to utilise its own resources due to political in-fights, and as a result has been dependant on the government for its finances. Until it is independent of the government in this aspect, the university will remain entrenched in politics,” he says. “But student politics is not a bad thing because it inculcates political consciousness and gives students the opportunity to have a social movement of their own.”

One wonders though, how a students’ movement lacking autonomy from mother political parties can be of any value to enhancing the academic experience in the university. In her essay ‘Student Movements in Nepal’, Amanda Snellinger argues that a social movement needs to engage in politics, but should not get bogged down in partisan politics. “For this reason, it should remain free of the grips of those who have other investments that may stymie the movement’s ultimate visions,” Snellinger writes, and cites evidence of student organisations not only being sister organisations of political parties, but also institutionalised to mobilise groups for protest whenever the parties need them.

“Indoctrination and recruitment are legitimately sanctioned duties of all the student organisations and there are set processes of clientelism and coercion within the universities in order to recruit students not only on to party rosters but also on streets during protests,” she writes, making her case that “student politics in Nepal are party machinations that exploit the metaphor of social movements.”

Politics, however, has poisoned other areas of the university too- the number of hired lecturers last year doubled to a total of 1,380 due to unchecked hiring of political affiliates.  The division bench of justice, Bharat Raj Upreti and Bal Ram KC, issued an order in the name of TU and the government on Feb. 22 2010 to stop the hiring of political affiliates and fill vacancies through open competition instead, but TU has not been able to implement it.

Additionally, a majority of lecturers garner a reputation for being derelict with their duties and breaking rules of the TU statute which prohibits them from working in senior positions in other institutions. Lecturers and employees in several private colleges in the Valley are known to be from Tribhuvan University. Ironically, on Dec. 4 2009, officials at the university increased the tuition fees five-fold despite of the lack of manpower.

This incident circled back to triggering violence among students, for union members manhandled some campus chiefs upon being denied of their demands to roll back the fee hike-a contemptible act considering that campus chiefs do not have the power to implement such demands. Resignation of campus chiefs of 10 Valley based campuses on Aug. 17, 2010 was a consequence of these threats.

Tribhuvan University has clearly failed as an institution with campus chiefs resigning, teachers working elsewhere, and students turning into mere appendages of political parties. Besides these incidents, the university does not make the slightest case for research and publishing or even maintaining an academic environment. Academics is namesake as most of the curriculum remains unrevised for years, and student satisfaction is at an all time low.

Students dissociated from the unions usually bear the brunt of the political mess- the hardest hit being the ones declared as having failed the annual exams. The effect of the university’s apathy is apparent among students, and many voice their frustrations: “Tribhuvan University is not going to make me a competent graduate,” says a disenchanted student. “Student politics has ignored the value of education and completely wasted my time here.
source: The Kathmandu Post