Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Revisiting Educational Practices


Revisiting Educational Practices: What a Shame…….??? I am Bored

Student, KU, School of Education
Education is the backbone and milestone for all round development of any society. It is a well-accepted assumption of defining education. In the context of Nepal, education system is like metaphor of beautiful garden for corruption and politics.  In this regard, how can we get quality education?

In Nepal, quality education has been limited only in plans and policies but not in reality. We are greatly victimized due to the political deadlock and self-centered ethos of leaders.  The tendency of padlocking education institutions by various political parties and trade unions, even students’ unions became well established culture of fulfilling demands.  Here, teachers are protesting to their permanency in job without any competition, professors are padlocking varsities for their demands, students are protesting against university for getting poor marks. When we see that education in Nepal is going round in a vicious circle. Does it mean by quality education?

Teachers are the agent of social change. In Nepalese scenario, while recruiting teachers, particularly, in government schools, there is politics from Ministry of Education (MoE) to School Management Committee (SMC). It has been becoming culture of appointing a teacher who is a close relative of School Management Committee’s chairperson and head teacher.  In this way, quality education has been questioned due to these immoral and sinful activities. Most significantly, the tendency of sending children to boarding school has been increasing day by day. Parents are compelled to pay high amount of fees in terms of different titles in the name of quality education. Owners of private school never follow the code of conduct as directed by Education Act and Education Regulation so far. They, of course, hesitate to pay education tax to government and most of them are established without any registration. Rather, they are interested in increasing school fee by appointing teacher in very low salary. What a shame!  At the same time, so called NGOs and INGOs are busy in farming dollar in the name of community development through education, advocacy and so on. The future of education system is going round in sadistic circle of ocean.  I think it is really difficult to overcome from this problem. Why the government is not eager to form mechanism to eradicate these problems and burning issues of teachers, students and unemployment, etc?

Many so called educationists were participated in different national and international conference with the agenda of quality, access and management in education, stating slogans “Education for All”, “Inclusive Education” etc.  Now, educationists are becoming businessmen by opening college of their own for their personal growth. In this way, it is very difficult for us to compete with global status of development due to our ineffective management and planning system from central to local levels. What is the role of teacher service commission? Its work is only limited to distribute teaching license. It has become popular institution for license industry. When teachers are appointed by School Management Committee, what’s the role and rationale of establishing Teacher Service Commission?

It’s an immediate need to all the concerned authorities, stakeholders and line agencies to maintain the quality in education by translating new vision and mission into the reality. The increasing tendency is wasting time and money in irrelevant plans should be minimized at all. It’s our need to create conducive environment of learning.  Everything is possible if we perform task honestly through collaborative way. A voice has power when it is echoed by thousands. Amendment of Education Act 1972, recruitment of vacant teacher through healthy competition, making proper mechanism for minimizing gap between private and public education institutions etc. should be addressed very soon. Then, it will be easier to implement the plans and policies as directed in School Sector Reform Plan (SSRP). Ultimately, there is no doubt that conducive learning environment is possible for ensuring quality in education.

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