By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel
There is a saying “The collapse of education is the collapse of the nation”. Many present developed nations wholeheartedly acknowledge and internalize this saying and this is the reason why they have reached the helm of development–economically, socially, politically and militarily. However, quality education, ever since we restored democracy, has never fallen under the priority list of the successive government. It is for this reason we are still an underdeveloped country in the world. And when some leaders attempt to improve the education system, the political opponent hatches a conspiracy theory and plays the spoilsport. The recent move of the Minister for Education Science and Technology to reform the education system in the country is a case in point.
Just recently, the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Sumana Shrestha, vowed to keep the education sector free from politics. This was a welcome move on the part of the Minister for Education, Science and Technology given the excess politicization of government-owned educational institutions across the country. But as expected, the political opponent criticized her move saying it is an attempt to infringe upon the rights of people.
It is a fact that government-owned educational institutions throughout the country are in dire stages. They are either understaffed, under-equipped or underfunded. The teachers and professors who are deployed at government educational institutions and who are supposed to serve the poor and marginalized people are seen teaching at private educational institutions. They are not accountable to the people and as a result, the poor and marginalized people cannot avail of the constitutionally guaranteed education facilities. What is even worse is the fact that many teachers and professors at government-owned educational institutions are actively engaged in party politics negating their duties and responsibilities.
Amidst this paradoxical stage, the minister for education said that those teachers and professors involved in party politics will face the music. The initiative was taken as per the Political Parties Act, 2017. The act prohibits teachers, professors and other government employees from engaging in politics. Similarly, the Patan Court on October 5, 2021, ruled that school teachers cannot engage in politics.
The major thrust of the initiative is to make educational institutions a party politics-free zone. Likewise, the initiative is to make the teachers and professors accountable to the people. Some groups mainly the political parties have misinterpreted the move as a mere attack on fundamental rights of the citizen.
We do not need a rocket scientist why the major parties are hell-bent against the move of the education minister. If media reports are any guide, the major parties have disapproved of Shrestha’s move as a large number of teachers are their cadres. For instance, as many as 263 of the 4,743 representatives to the Nepali Congress general convention held in December 2021 were school teachers and staff. The number is above five percent of the total delegates. The main opposition CPN-UML also had dozens of teachers as representatives in its 10th general congress held in November of that year. Hundreds of school teachers are associated with the CPN (Maoist Centre) as well.
If we assess the behavior of our politicians, we will find that they tend to shun their political differences when they see themselves as politically vulnerable. They come together for their personal benefit discrediting the initiative aimed at the broader interest of the nation. The reason behind this is simple. They fear that successful implementation of the intuitive will increase the popularity of those who propounded it. The ongoing attack on the education minister by the opposition and ruling vindicates this presumption.
Not only the politicians, but the teachers’ unions of various parties have united against her. So much so, that they have even warned of dire consequences. One can easily understand why the teacher’s union of various parties are echoing the voice of political parties.
Common sense tells us that teachers and professors at educational institutions should not engage in politics. They must teach the students and empower them with knowledge and information enabling them to provide the solution to the problem facing the globe. In contrast, our teachers and professors use educational institutions as the launching pad of their political careers. Tribhuwan University, the country’s oldest and premier educational institution, is just one example where professors and students in the past have used it as a launching pad to rise to prominence politically. There are several others.
As things stand now, one is very clear. If some leaders- irrespective of their political ideology attempt to come up with the solution to the problem facing the nation, there will be innumerable forces hindering its successful implementation. This is what is happening at the moment with the praiseworthy move of the minister for education, science and technology.
In any functioning democracy, the role of the opposition is to act as a watchdog and caution the ruling if it introduces flaws in policies. At the same time, it should support the implementation if the program is aimed at the broader interest of the nation. This is how democracy works. Sadly, such practices are only limited within the paper in Nepal.
One should admire the education minister for her bold decision to reform the education system. One should also acknowledge her for attempting to stand out in the crowd by challenging the status quo. If she can handle the pressure as a result of dirty politics, she will certainly be able to translate her words into action and eventually reform the education system.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
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