Free education till 12, feasible?

Imagine a new Nepal, a Nepal with free education where the rich and poor could assemble in the same hall, play in the same ground and study in the same class. Sounds alluring right? But can Nepal afford free education? Is free education actually free? With some political parties highly pitching for free education and planning to shut private organizations down we should analyze how feasible it is in today’s context.

It’s an undeniable fact that there has been a huge difference between the performance of students of private institutions and government institutions. The state of government schools is in decline while the private institutions are prospering and are striving for quality education and developing newer methodologies of learning.  With irregularities in class, lack in quality of teachers, resources, less exposure to practical knowledge and poor English background majority of government school products are finding it tough to compete in global arena. Political influence and political instability adds more to it. Private school breeds more success than failure and government breeds more failure than success and it isn’t the students to be blamed, it’s the government’s policies and its poor implementation and lack of reward and punishment system. In the past ten years, the success rate of students from private schools in SLC examination has been around 90 percent. Those who perform poorly are usually from public or government schools where the success rate in SLC has been less than thirty percent and this statistics becomes more disheartening and discouraging when one realizes that 80 percent of the general Nepalese population goes to public schools.

Dissatisfied with public schools’ inability to prepare their children for the cut throat competitive era and due to status quo, parents either send their children to private schools or abroad. Private schools run classes regularly and if due to any technical reasons they are unable to do so they utilize the weekends. They have a strict calendar and proper time table to follow which makes teachers, parents and students work accordingly. Parents are called for regular parent’s teachers meeting in order to improve the ways of teaching and their children’s performance. Parents get concerned even if their children’s percentage decreases by one percent. Regular assessments are held to analyze students’ performance and regular staff meetings are held. Extra classes are provided to weak students and mock examinations are conducted.While in public schools, teacher attrition and absenteeism is very high. In spite of having more than 95 percent trained teachers the performance of government schools are declining. Weak management skills, inconsistent appraisals, appointments/promotion on political bonds and kinship ties have left teachers often suffering from low morale and motivation. Lack of ownership and high politicization has led to the downfall of quality education. Remedial support for struggling students doesn’t exist. There is less focus on harnessing understanding and practical application of ideas or creativity and critical thinking.

Libraries may be set up, but the environment for students to go there and study is lacking. Many government schools aren’t currently providing a safe and welcoming teaching learning environment. Classrooms in rural areas may have a leaking roof, insufficient materials and are dusty and dirty with no bins to dispose dirt. Rooms are often poorly lit or ventilated. Schools still lack clean and adequate toilet facilities due to which the female students don’t go to schools for a certain portion of the month. Even if the resources are available they are not utilized to their full extent.There are areas in which the government isn’t able to send text books even after the completion of entire course. As head teachers in various schools have been leading the school and teaching the students as a full time teacher simultaneously they haven’t been able to effectively monitor teaching and learning in their schools. Political interference of student and teacher union and their so called politics has hit the higher studies harder .Every time the demands of the student leaders aren’t met they embrace the ways of vandalism and agitation.

Public schools have now become a refuge for the children of poor and disadvantaged families. Lack of effective inspection, monitoring and evaluation systems and frequent strikes disrupt school openings and planned activities in schools contributing to negative perceptions on the quality of public education. A mass exodus is taking place from public to private organizations. The widening gap between these two types of schools is creating stratification and undermining our social cohesion.

In this context will free education be the ultimate solution? Will the culture of mediocrity eradicate? What will happen to the investments that have been done in the private sector? Will the government provide the investment back to the investors? In government schools students are usually found goofing around. Even if the country starts providing free education it can’t be assured that students would actually be serious as the chances of bunking increases as you value something only when you have to pay for it. “As parents of  students of government schools have no investment or very minimal investment in children’s education in comparison to those of private schools it has led to ownership causing setback in education in government schools” states Nawang Thora Sherpa a Teach for Nepal fellow. “I conducted a diagnostic test at my initial phase of teaching and I was shocked to see that the students of grade six couldn’t even pass the curriculum of grade 2”

As we all know Nepal isn’t a poor country it is a poorly managed country. It is not economically poor it is mentally poor. Rather than complaining about the widening gap between public and private schools, planting bombs in private institutions and trying to close all the private institutions down and jumping to free education, focus should be done on initiatives to improve the existing situation. In a longer run Nepal can transcend to free education system like Finland, Norway, Sweden and Germany but the present need of Nepal is to enhance and monitor the existing system, run remedial classes, implement hire and fire system, increase public participation and public concern and develop a sense of ownership.  The government should tap the untapped and discover the undiscovered intelligence and talent covered under impoverishment and destitution. It should create an environment for national and international students to study. Students should be politically aware but the very politics shouldn’t be hindrance and resources vandalism shouldn’t be valid just because the students are affiliated to some political party.

SUSI Diaries

White Beats headphone on maximum volume, tapping my feet and waiting for the flight details to be announced, I was seated with five of my other Nepali mates in Hamad International Airport. Had I known the journey of two months would be this exciting I wouldn't have wasted a single second. Ten minutes later came my friends from Srilanka and Bangladesh and we were ready to embark a journey towards Seattle, the Emerald city. If I was alone there, trust me, I would’ve lost my mind with that child in front of me crying throughout the journey, the bland food of Qatar airways and a Nepali grandma poking me every five minutes. But then Upakar, Upendra and Prashanti came to my rescue. By cracking riddles and jokes which made no logic and laughing so hard, easily catching attention of everyone around us, our journey started. As soon as we landed in Seattle, we saw the staff from FIUTS eagerly waiting for us with colorful paper signs. If only they knew how mischievous we were, they would probably have been a little less excited at our arrival!

Soft rain, colorful surrounding and lights everywhere - that’s how the University of Washington welcomed us. Sudden change in weather, people wearing multiple layers and with little Thailand, little Korea, little India and little other countries there was a small world in the premises of Udub itself. Sitting in a hall from 9 to almost 7 doesn’t sound exciting at all but the moments we stole from the time left were precious. The aroma of coffee from Starbucks in every block, the last minute of going through few pages of text books individually and sharing it with friends just in order to be safe from punishments and the random paper conversations while the classes were ongoing, that’s how our first week started. With such a huge time difference and the habit of reaching late to every place “a typical Nepali tendency”, it was really tough for us to adjust with the time schedule as punctuality was at its best there. In order to make our journey more fun FIUTS allotted each SUSI participant with an ambassador from the University of Washington. Mine was Mrunmayee Shetee. From history of journalism to the techniques of reporting and various leadership exercises the first week was fully packed.

In the first weekend, with our shades on, a bag full of enough food and water and ample of sunscreen applied on skin all the SUSI participants were ready for a hike. We hiked our way through the gigantic rocks of Mount Rainier, slipping, falling and getting up again amidst the melting snow on the mountain. We struggled on our hike but still managed to get good pictures of everyone! At the end of the long day we started a bonfire under the starry sky. Amid the silent pine trees in the windless night we made s’mores and sang songs in our respective languages and shared stories from home. It was a perfect weekend for all of us!

The next week our preparation for individual articles started. All the participants were either busy in their laptops searching contacts or busy talking to their ambassadors. Some were busy taking interviews on Skype while some were reading books to dig information. Just to help us get out of the monotonous schedule FIUTS took us to the Safeco field to watch a baseball game. Well I knew what baseball is but I didn't understand the game that well before then. Even after watching the entire match I couldn’t understand the game completely (though I understood many rules) but the fun in the virtual games that were played on the screen, the cheering, the hooting, the DAI HO LEE tune, the Mexican wave, the rhythm of the claps all were out of the world. Like the cherry on the cupcake, the fireworks made our night. Slowly and gradually we had come to know the ways and alleys around the university. One of the shining moments of the second week was  night stroll in Kerry park. Competing with the American children in the games, climbing the rope webs, falling from the spiral slides, finishing the maze and getting drenched in the international fountain brought the child inside me out.

The second and third weeks were full of site visits and who helped us “THE GOOGLE MAP lady”. In order to help us understand about the execution of media houses, their functioning and the workstyle of the journalists in Seattle we were taken to TVW, KUOW, Geekwire, Seattle Daily and the Seattle Times. One of the unique media houses I saw in Seattle was Real Change. It was very impressive because it employed homeless people for paper distribution. With our ambassadors we were taken to a cruise ride which was icy cold but as it was the first experience for us all, every one of us was excited. Uncountable jelly fish swayed with the waves with their tentacles constantly moving in the sea. Besides the time difference, one of the hardest things to adjust with was the food in America. We south Asians who have been habituated to eat warm rice and lentils had to eat cold sandwiches and burgers everyday which kind of felt good the first few days but was difficult to cope up with. But when the district market started to prepare rice and pulses there used to be a long queue. It felt weird when I saw Nepali people in U.S meet each other even when it would demand for travelling hours of distance but when we visited Nepali restaurants it was totally shocking to observe ourselves talking to every next other Nepali people.  

I was not at all happy spending a major portion of my day inside a hall itself but when I look back integrating so many things in such a short time span couldn't have been better. Meeting different people in a new environment and learning newer things was a great experience. It was really challenging but rewarding for us to step out of our comfort zone. There were times when the people we were interacting with were not friendly at all and we would succumb. But once we did that we were able to understand that it was all in the brain. The execution of media houses there was completely different. The best part of the media people there was that every single individual would listen to your views and try their best to quench your curiosity. They would encourage and entertain our questions and every single task was transparent.

The fourth week was the most memorable one. It was our last week in Seattle and I believe we connected to each other in this very week. Preparation of momos with our ambassadors, random walks, chats, camp fire at the beach and games helped to make our bond even stronger. The participants with their ambassadors went for dinner, viewed the Seattle skyline from the top of Space Needle. In this week I got a new family outside my home – a sweet nephew, lovely pet Mia who would welcome me every time with its wagging tail and lovely dad and mom. With a separate room full of stuffed pandas everywhere, glass pieces with small pandas, statues of pandas, first hand and foot impressions of baby Ayden and building blocks just ahead of me Thompson family welcomed me. The home which I was sent for my homestay was similar to that I had expected my dream house to be. Every corner had different pieces from different parts of the world; one could feel the liveliness and happiness in the house as soon as one entered. My American dad and mom took me to bavarian village of Leavenworth a place which ditto felt like the sets of Dilwale. Men dressed like cowboys were riding tourists in horse carriage with those beautiful draperies. Vintage homes lined by colorful flowers, antique pieces and lights all around it was a perfect place for a date. Mexican music and orchestra was playing around and children were blowing bubbles all around. Men and women were enjoying with pitchers of beers and it felt like they had the entire time in the world. I met Mateo who was just a child but made my remaining weeks in U.S lovely.

Leaving Seattle was very hard. It was tough to leave my new family and I was very sad to see the ambassadors crying (though I was the very one who was nagging everyone) but it had to be done as Chicago was waiting for us. Though the journey of Chicago started in a bittersweet (with the news of various gunshot cases and my dollars stolen) the other days helped me to forget it. Chicago was exactly the America which we picture in our mind – tall skyscrapers, busy people, big statues and museums.  The best part of Chicago was its nightlife. It felt like I could spend days looking at those colorful skyscrapers and the fountain which would dance with the background song merrily. The visit to Newseum was no less. The way Newseum portrayed the history of journalism via 3D movie was commendable. History was never this fun. Looking the history so close that you could actually feel the world wars, the struggle of journalists, the challenges yourself is totally an unexplainable experience. As I am not that fond of museums DC did not turn out to be my dream destination but it was amazing to see how well the history was preserved and people were exploring for more details. History was worshipped initiatives were respected. Tombstones, memorials, scripts, objects were perfectly managed and there were guides who knew very single minor details of that places. Bus drives were carried out so that people could learn about it.

United States is undoubtedly a very beautiful place to be but Nepal would be much better only if it was a little developed. One of the best things of United States was that people respected profession regardless of what job you do and they highly prioritized independence. I could see ten-year-old girls playing violin in order to earn money. People invested a huge amount of their money on recreation and amassing materials. The other best part about States was that people were very hard working. If only program as SUSI would be conducted in Nepal it would demand for minimum 10-12 staffs which were handled by only five staffs in total. Majority of the teachers were females and it was quite encouraging to see them teach so well even with their babies with them. The daily tasks were very simplified with the use of technology. All the vegetables and fruits were cleaned before selling, all the things required for daily activities were available in very one store and with the use of machines like washing machine, dish washer and dicer the time to finish household chores was reduced to exactly fifty percent. It was really good to see how artifacts are preserved and explored more and more and the thirst for knowledge would never end. It felt amazing to see how any person could extract information from the places they like and journalists didn’t require certificates to practice journalism.

I believed that the leg pulling tendency is only prevalent in the south Asian political scenario but it was quite disturbing to see how low political contenders could stoop in order to achieve the position during electoral period even in the States. It might have advantages of its own but I was not at all happy seeing marijuana legalized. Children were directly exposed to it which was certain to encourage them to develop tendency as such in future.  I assumed that there would be no homeless people in states but after seeing homeless people living in tents under the bridge and asking for money I felt that whichever country you go there exist poor people. It was more surprising to see some homeless people wearing suits and carrying iPhones. Later after listening to various stories I realized that a millionaire yesterday would turn to be a beggar the very next day as the health facilities were too expensive. But unlike in south Asian countries people would not have to die of hunger as the government would distribute the food coupons and there were food banks from which the homeless people could collect food materials and toiletries. We in our home country believed that America is a progressive country with open minded people. With American government emphasizing so much on empowering women, creating safer environment for them and bringing new rights I believed that it would be a safe place or a place of imagination for women. I was totally shocked when I found that America was no different from our country.

Presenting all those shiny moments in words would be impossible. Nevertheless I will miss those irrelevant and nonsensical riddles of Upakar, “you know I read an article” of Prashanti, Raja sahaab Upendra’s orders, I will miss the obsessiveness of Muaad in coffee and energy drink, vintage homes of barbarian village, the massage of Hiran, visit to capitol hill with Herish, the support of Jyoti, the cool attitude of Ananya, craziness of sarika, NO of Farzana, “YOU bitch” by Nyadooni :P the beautiful skyline of Seattle.I will miss banging saucepans and shouting with baby Ayden I will miss breaking all the traffic rules and running to harbor bridge just so that we wouldn’t miss the cruise. I will miss the ride with my American daddy in Harley Davidson , dipping  legs in the ocean and feeling the sea tides. I will miss the night strolls in UDub. I will miss playing with snow and falling down after every five steps. I will miss the view of the glistening tunnels which I saw with the hair flying in the rhythm of the wind.

Thank you  Stuart Thompson and Lynn Thompson for being a warm and welcoming family in an unknown city. Sorry Era Schrepfer, Qanani Kalil, Ellen Frierson, Tom Lang and Benett Corey Anderson as I have been a pain in the ass many times. But thank you for forgiving me every single time. I can’t say how grateful I am to each and every one of you for making my summer this beautiful! Loads of love!

Farewell Speech

A warm good afternoon honorable CEO, Respected principal, teachers, faculty members, staffs, my beloved friends, my seniors, my juniors and everyone present out here.  I am deeply honored to get an opportunity to speak in front of people who have come from different walks of life and who have so much of potential, knowledge and experiences to share with.

These three years of bachelor’s degree has an indelible presence in my life and these years were the most challenging years of my entire life where I had to prove myself in each and every step I took. In these three years I have met genuinely beautiful souls who have studded my life with precious memories and others who have helped me to learn lessons of life and helped me to learn the essence of struggle.

Somewhere in between principle of acceptance, principle of confidentiality, theory of feminism, psychoanalysis, ethics of a journalist and yellow journalism my three years has come to an end. Standing here in the threshold of my life I have some valuable lessons to share that I have learnt.

1

      1. Work smart

If only hard work would yield results trust me the African women would have become millionaires. Learn how to hit opportunities with skills.

2 Harness skills, polish them, refine them and become a better person

This is the age of making mistakes, falling and rising again and developing skills. Nepal still lacks visionary and skillful people. I believe the current political scenario is the perfect evidence to prove my argument. Get out of your comfort zone, convert your weaknesses to strength and challenges to opportunities.  Money will come along.

3 Develop your own network and connections

Might sound bitter but connections usually overpower effort and hard work. So go to different places, socialize and meet new people. When you have good people around you you will get your work done in a snap.

Finally Compare yourself with no one else than yourself. Every one of us are special in our own ways expecting a fish to climb a tree and an elephant to run like a cheetah is nothing else but a mere foolishness. You were born to stand out and make your life worthwhile. Remember you had to win millions of sperms to get this life that you’re living. You were a conqueror, are a conqueror and will have to remain a conqueror because history only remembers the successful one.
  

Most of us will leave this city and maybe this country as well in few months and fate knows whether we will meet each other again or not. But if my prayers work, I wish all of you present out here get your aspirations fulfilled and have a blissful life ahead.

Thank you one and all and enjoy the evening :)

No Reservation Please

Dear government,

Whenever I reach to any place for an interview or selection the very first thing I do is go through the list of candidates . Not because I doubt on my capabilities but I fear that my “surname” might turn out to be a bain for me. Had I been a Brahman almost hundred years ago the situation might have been completely different.

But alas belonging to the so called superior hierarchy today has itself become a tragedy to me and especially to all those Brahman and Chhetri men who are systematically denied from opportunities just because they were born as Brahmans or Chhetris.

It might seem queer that a woman who is highly benefited by 33% reservation is writing this message but the provision itself seems and sounds like a fabricated favor to minorities (either women or men belonging to different ethnic groups) where they are proved to be less capable. Well the concept of reservation was brought up for a noble cause. But has this reservation actually been empowering people?

Well I don’t believe so. The system has crippled people in such a way that once the system ends all the people will be scattered into distorted mass. It has made people so much parasitic that tomorrow if they don’t get similar opportunities they will definitely choose the way of conflict and why not? Why to work hard day and night when the thing you pine for comes in your life with so less efforts just because you are an individual from minorities.

A Brahman needs to score above 85% while an individual from minority only needs to cross 70 %. A Brahman man has to spend years to obtain one thing while in very few efforts a man/woman from minority does it all in a snap.I am not undermining the efforts of those individual of minority but I know the pain when your efforts do not yield result automatically discouraging people and killing their motivation. Even the INGOS that belongs to countries like U.S.A and U.K which is guided by the principle that all are born equal drastically change their philosophies as soon as they step in Nepal and ask provisions for minorities. I hardly see Brahman and Chhetri men in INGOs and embassies as the vacancies favors a minority. Programs on empowerment of people belonging to minority are conducted in four star or five star hotels where the maximum funds are spent. The already empowered people are invited, speeches are delivered, delicacies are served, people exchange customary greetings and the fund as well as the program ends. Who is benefited here? The hotel owner and yes the organization for adding program in its list.

Until and unless you don’t reach to the root of the problem the situation will remain constant. I know it’s hard for you as well. When we cannot make all our family members happy however hard we try you have countless families to look after. But I also know that had my mother not treated me and my sister equally, it might have resulted into sibling rivalry. This system will not only create crevasses and gaps in the relation of  men and women or the people belonging to different ethnic groups which will be very difficult to bridge in but might also lead to communal riot. The bitterness might completely break these relationships. 

Example: A son/daughter of Madhesi, Janajati and Dalit doctor/industrialist/business tycoon has equal opportunity as a son/daughter of Brahmin and Chhetri to develop himself/herself. But rather then reaching to the financially weak and uneducated people, rich minority benefit from it. I have seen people getting selected for quotas by fooling the government officials where they study in private schools until grade nine and study at government schools in grade ten with home tutions to be applicable for the quota system. While a child whose family cannot even offer the child two meals a day has to sacrifice his/her aspirations as s/he was born Brahman. The people in Terai manage to live in a whatsoever manner while people in hilly and mountain regions die as they have no transportation facility and have to walk miles to even get to a health facility. There are many Brahmans in far western and mid western development region who are living lives which is even hard to imagine. In this case who seems the actual vulnerable?  Aren’t they the citizens of Nepal? Or should they be punished because some of the Brahmans have reached to a high post? Isn’t it your responsibility to address their needs and demands as well? The reservation for differently able people can be justifiable as their body doesn’t support them in every task. But others do have their hands and legs which can help them to gain success if they work hard. With 45% reservation seat and only 55% of free competition how can we expect quality?

You can take the example of the recent results of Tribhuvan University as well where many people were agitated as the toppers were Brahman. Does the government need to start a new system as a non minority topper and minority topper now? Or should people be judged by their capabilities?

Martin Luther King had once said in his speech that he envisions the world not to judge his children by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I too envision a Nepal where people get success by their hard work rather than their surname. Otherwise the day isn’t far where Brahmins will be the suppressed ones. I know very well how much the people from Dalit groups and Janajati groups had to suffer due to untouchability and how hard is it for them to emerge out from their past. But I also know injustice cannot be a solution for removing injustice. The  provision of reservation must be time bound. As our constitution isn’t rigid and can be reformed at required time changes must take place.

My only request to you is to help them to help themselves. Give equal opportunities to all. work on minimizing the differences between haves and have not's . Improve the quality of the government schools so that people will not have to migrate in Kathmandu and can live in their own places. Create a plane from where people of all sex, caste, creed and color can reach to any place as they wish and let them be on their own. Create an independent individual not a parasite. I hope another individual like me will not have to write a letter as such again in the years to come.

Yours Sincerely,

A Nepali citizen

Welcoming 2016

Flipping the pages back, the year 2015 was a beautiful journey with numerous ups and downs, surprises, achievements, as well as challenges and difficulties. Looking the year surfatially life was full of struggles shaken by earthquake, strangled by embargo, deaths, terror and violence everywhere but when I plunge deep there were pretty beautiful moments to celebrate. The slight touch of old people with eyes full of gratitude, the tight hug of children, the happiness when your students pass with hundred percent results, the satisfaction when your efforts yield results, the smile you earn after serving the needy and the remembrances of people whose lives you have touched are the memories which will always be cherished.

This year made me realize that my life was much easier than that of many individuals of Nepal. It made me feel the afflictions of people as well as helped me realize the potentials of youth after seeing their rigorous efforts during earthquake. I saw god in those helping hands while I saw devils on those people who were using the aids for their personal gains. Individually the year 2015 helped me identify true friends and the fake ones and made me a strong woman. Life threw me to the wolves and I returned leading a pack. I learnt that life doesn’t get easier we just tend to get stronger. The only regret of this year was I wasted too much of time on people who weren’t worth it.

Nevertheless realizing the quicker we let go our past the sooner a brighter path will await, I am really excited for 2016. I don’t have any resolution as such but I have made my mind to utilize the upcoming days to an optimum level (remembering to take breaths). I will make sure this year will be much more awesome than last year and I will indulge myself in those activities which will make me happy. At the end of the day isn’t life all about happiness?

Humanities: Brighter than Before

Previously I was a student of science faculty. Even after spending two precious years of my life in this stream I found it fruitless in finding the width of intestines and knowing the chemical structure of the elements I would never use in my entire life. Whenever I attended social gatherings every single individual would either be talking about politics, malfunctions of the society or the socio-economical or the cultural situation of the country. No one ever asked me about the formulae of anti derivative or the enzymes present in saliva there.  Some people also suggested me to give a try for MBBS. But after calculating the investments I had to make, I didn’t find it to be profitable. Even after 10 years of study( 4 years in MBBS,1 year internship,2 years in MD and 3 more years for higher studies) and investment of minimum 1 crore rupees people would call me a junior doctor at least until my hair turned white. It was evident that I could never save that much money until and unless I choose the wrong ways.  If I would invest equal amount of hard work and time on any other fields the results would be huge. Telling in short I had already realized that science and me, we were entirely opposite to each other and didn’t attract in any circumstances. Thus I finally decided to put brakes on my relationship with science and connect with social science. It doesn’t mean that science is not a fruitful subject. Every single field has its uniqueness, its scope and opportunities. Even a social worker needs doctors, engineers and many more people in the course of their job.  The only thing was that we weren’t fit for each other.

“21^st century” as soon as we hear this, the word that immediately comes to our mind is cut throat competition, modernization and advancement and a “degree” has a pivotal role in this era. By nature I am extrovert, I love exploring things and helping people.  Thus in order to achieve the same “degree” with the essence besides, I opened the gates of GoldenGate. Travelling down the memory lane I still remember my first day in the college: Spiral notebooks, fresh set of pens, crisp ironed uniform and me. Now I am standing in the last year of my “BSW” life with hardly two months of studies left.  These three years flew in such a swift manner that it was hard to believe. People say that science is a practical based subject while humanities isn’t.  If only they could know how the life of social work students is I assure you they would change their minds. Every single student who is studying BSW must work 260 hours in an organization compulsorily. He has to go to many more organizations to conduct research, prepare seminar papers, reports and presentations. He/she has to develop programs and only then can they attain good marks and finish the course.

In this very three years I have been through hundreds of organizations, attended much more seminars and have been able to develop a good network which will turn out to be beneficial in the coming future. I have been able to see those things which are hard to believe that they even exist. I have seen the worst and best things life has to offer. I have seen how low people leap for money and I have also seen how high people can reach with kindness and simplicity. In these three years I have learned so many things that would take me entire lifetime to learn had I chosen another subject. The best part I can earn money by helping people and will not have to be stuck on any sort of ethical dilemma for monetary cause.

Few years back I believed people were right when they said that you don’t need to read social work to become a social worker. Till today I believe the same thing but to become a professional one it’s mandatory.  In a fish market a fish shopkeeper who knows the variety of fish, has a good speaking capacity and knows how to cut the fish into fine slices sells well but the one who knows different ways to prepare it as well sells a packet of mustard seeds more and maybe a kilo of fish more. The same is in this case. The way to interact with the clients, the principles, the approaches, the practice systems involved in social work, the tools and methods required for proper functioning and the proper use of media for minimizing the existing problems can only be learnt after one has academic knowledge of social work. GoldenGate has always helped me to learn new insights, has opened up avenues for me, has helped me to harness my skills and has provided me a platform to express myself. One of the reasons why I have achieved this much is due to the supporting faculty of the college and the opportunities I have received. Thus I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of them who have helped me to make this journey a worthwhile one.

Step back Narendra Modi

“I have come here with the goodwill and love from one and a quarter billion people of India. Nepal India relations are as old as the Himalayas and the Ganga. Our relations have not moved forward with mere documents but through the hearts of people. We have always believed that it is not our work to interfere in what you do but to support you in the path you decide to take. Our only wish is that Nepal’s progress reaches as high as the Himalayas”

After listening to the speech that Narendra Modi delivered during the SAARC summit the entire constitution assembly hall was echoing with applause. He had won hearts of thousands of Nepalese and had left them spellbound. With his eloquent speech he had mesmerized all. People were gathered in roads through which he passed by just to have a look. Pashupatinath was beautifully decorated like a bride just to welcome him. Simply putting it into words the 45 minutes speech that Narendra Modi had delivered had entirely changed the perception of Nepalese towards Indians. When the rattle had shaken Nepal it was India who extended its hand for help once again Indian government had won the hearts of millions of Nepalese. Yes the news of border encroachment issues, Indian media issues and issues of expired food supply had become the headlines but we were still ignoring it as we had trust on Narendra Modi. We believed that he was a man with noble heart and now and then we were comparing our leaders with Narendra Modi. But after going through the seven points suggestions to alter the provision of our new constitution in an article of Indian express our viewpoint towards Narendra modi have completely changed. After observing such an unusual and unexpected act by the Indian government we were stuck in a dilemma on which side to believe and what not to. Are these actually suggestions by Modi lead government or by the conspirators who want Nepal to remain as it is? Is it appropriate for a sovereign nation to interfere in the internal issues of another sovereign nation?

Mr. Modi presently you have been constantly lobbying adoptive citizenship in Nepal but wasn’t it Bharatiya Janta Party which had sparked the issues of citizenship of Sonia Gandhi seventeen years ago to stop her from being the prime minister? If you were not agreeing to adoptive citizenship in the past and are still not agreeing with it today in context of India then why are you trying to impose the idea of adoptive citizenship in Nepal? Indeed your strategy of playing with the sentiments of madhesi Nepalese has worked and has aroused public agitation but you have evidently fallen in people’s eyes but conducting such an act opposing to the diplomatic behavior. Nepal is a sovereign country and Indian government should not cross its limitation and should act accordingly as a neighbor. The strategy of colonizing Nepal will never be successful and we will never allow and Indian to be our prime minister or president.

If you believe these suggestions will threaten Nepalese Mr. Modi well its crystal clear that you have had your hair and beard turned white without maturity. Those suggestions have once again united Nepalese. Finally federalism, inclusion and democracy have been institutionalized. After ten years of debate and rigorous efforts and approval of ninety percentages of C.A members we finally have crispy constitution in our hands. It might not be flawless but we have intellectuals to cope up with it in our country itself. If by any chance India seals the border, presently Nepal seems to be in loss but if we observe the situation in the longer run its India which will have to face a major loss. We have to develop a collaborative and co-operative relationship with our neighbors for our smooth functioning. With already existing cat and dog fights with Pakistan and newly emerged issues with Nepal we don’t think India will develop in a similar pace. Yes we are poor but we value independence and freedom much more than money. It’s worthless to sing “sayaun thunga fulka haami “if the country is broken up into fragments. We are not your slaves to follow everything as you say. Mr. Modi your dream of becoming world conqueror will split before your eyes. Thus India must curb its hegemonic perception and must stop interfering in the internal affairs of Nepal. We don’t need $600,000 for sandalwood. We don’t need slippery sugarcoated words. We don’t need a neighbor who attacks us behind our backs. All we need is a neighbor who genuinely wants us to develop.

Napoleon Bonaparte has correctly stated that necessity is the mother of invention.  International community will never allow India to take such an action but even if by any circumstance India seals the India Nepal border, local Nepalese products will flourish. We will start searching for alternative sources of energy. Our relationship with China will strengthen. Rather than importing apples from india we will be developing roads to bring apples from helambu. We will stand on our own feet rather than living a parasitic life forever. The millions and billions rupees we provide to India to import things will be stopped. Industries, trade and business will flourish. The farmers will be motivated.We will use our own manpower rather than using biharis for labor resulting to decrease in labor deficit. Newer job opportunities will emerge.

Professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University Kamal Mitra Chinoy has clearly stated in his interview with NDTV that Nepal’s constitution is better than that compared to India as it provides quota for women, marginalized groups and madhesis. Nepals constitution is for Nepal not for India. Make bridges in Gujarat, make the women in Delhi feel safer feed the inhabitants of Maharastra who are still under the poverty line. Nepal doesn’t need you but India desperately does. Yes you might be wearing dresses worth lakhs of rupees but your mentality will remain one of a chaaywala.  Step back Narendra Modi.

Challenges and Opportunities of Rural Education

On the occasion of 36th Education day and International Literacy Day 2015, USYC Nepal organized a discussion session with Mr Binod Shahi, Mr. Samden Sherpa, and Mr. Nawang Thora Sherpa about the challenges and opportunities of rural education system.

Samden Sherpa the first fellow of Teach for Nepal (TFN) and member of first cohort of USYC in his early years of youth dreamt of going to abroad to pursue his career as majority of the Nepali students dream to. Even after rigorous efforts he was rejected by U.S Embassy and the same rejection turned out to be a major turning point for him. He realized that his life was meant for his own people and started working for it.  After working in Ikkudol, Samden learnt that a teacher’s capacity, ideology and quality have a vital role on developing the children’s personality. He stated that though Nepal has developed in educational sector in terms of quantity it hasn’t developed in terms of quality. He believes that the major problem in rural education in Nepal is the lack of motivation among students and minimal participation of parents.

Nawang Thora Sherpa a TFN fellow and the member of USYC 2015 was raised by a single mother and his aunt and uncle. Keeping the fact in the mind that every single individual is not fortunate enough to have uncle and aunt like his, he started working in the education sector. At the initial of his teaching he conducted a diagnostic test and was shocked to see when the students of grade six couldn’t pass the curriculum of grade 2.  He amplified the lack of motivation and newness in teachers and the fact that the parents have no investment leads to lack of ownership causing the setback in rural education. Contradicting the point of Samden, Nawang believes that the teachers of government schools are qualitative but as the system of rewarding and punishment and proper monitoring is lacking the teachers are unable to function properly.

Binod Shahi a volunteer teacher in upper Dolpa has opened up a school with the aids of government and individual funds. According to him, the life of Dolpalis is similar to that of people in the Stone Age who do not have faint access to advancement and technology.  He highlighted that the people working in the government sector are benefitted from the problems rather than development. Thus, for individual development they do not allow the situation to flourish which is the main reason behind the backwardness of rural education. He believes that creative study is the utmost requirement in rural education so that they can utilize the local resources aiding to individual development as well as enhancement of the entire community.

After the guests shared their experiences the floor was opened for question and answer session. After a brief question and answer session the program came to an end at 4:30 p.m. 

Interaction with Visitors under Students US Speaker Program

With a motive to have an open discussion on issues concerning to youth in Nepal and United States and discuss about the cross cultural differences among these countries Alexandria Ellison and Maria Perry visited USYC members. Total 35 members participated in the open discussion that was held on 26^th August at Innovation Hub, Teku. The program mainly focused on the impact of earthquake in Nepalese lifestyle, Nepalese politics, American politics and importance of social networking sites to disseminate information.  The program made the first move with a brief introduction session. For Alexandria , Nepal was the very first Asian country she had visited and she was thrilled by the wonderful architecture of buildings in Kathmandu, vibrancy of colors throughout  and the spices used in the foods in Nepal.

Maria highlighted in the pivotal role of social networking sites in order to render aids and grants from countries worldwide. Sharing her own anecdotes she also highlighted on the importance of facebook and other medias as it had helped them to donate money to earthquake victims.  She stated that in order to bring lives back to normalcy the major focus should be driven towards promotion of tourism. Comparing to Haiti, Nepal was already known for its pristine beauty and people were attracted towards the country pre-earthquake. She was happy and pleased to see the youths carrying the responsibilities themselves in their arms rather than depending on someone else. She strictly believes that a nation doesn’t require foreign grants for development but it does act as a helping hand. She also emphasized on the proper documentation and recording of the events as these documents will help in future reference and help our future generations to have well acquaintance with it.

On the other hand Alexandria amplified on the importance of grass root organizations to address and cope up with the crisis resulted due to earthquake. She also highlighted briefly about the American Politics and election system and the current presidential election situation. Along with the political talks, the guests were also very much interested to know about the efforts made by the USYC members regarding the relief and restoration after the devastating earthquake of April 25^th, 2015. They also conferred on the role of government during the earthquake. They also highlighted that the political situation existing in Nepal is really troublesome in compared to that of Europe’s and United States. With this the program which had kicked off at 2:00 p.m came to an end.

Memories with USYC 2015

Every morning I wake up and just switch on  wifi my cell phone vibrates like anything and there are almost 1000 messages that need to be replied. No it's not spam at all and you are again wrong for assuming that I am super busy girl with lots of things to plan. It's love which I constantly receive from 52 lovely youths belonging to various parts of our country. For some the plan of staying in a hall for approximately 3 days from 8 in the morning to   8 in the evening might not seem fun at all but for me it was one of the best days of my life. Words seem pretty less to describe the time that I spent with the USYC 2015 team but nevertheless I am compelled to do so. 

From the very first letter I received till today, my journey with USYC has been a roller coaster ride of happiness and challenges. Getting selected in USYC itself is a major victory as it is believed that you are one of those best youths that the nation has to offer. When we stepped at the hotel and opened up the curtains then did we realize why Pokhara was termed as a tourist paradise. Machhapuchhre was clearly visible from the windows and the aroma of the wet earth was enchanting. After the introduction and dinner majority of the participants were bedridden due to exhaustion. And a few of us were eager to enjoy the night life of Pokhara. We walked almost an hour and then we saw pokhara at night time. we heard a party going on at a restaurant and without wasting a single moment we danced till the cafe  closed. As soon as we stepped out it started raining and we had to rush back. The next day we woke up with a message from YUWA then did our formal program start. Though it was hectic at times but after listening to speakers like Leelamani Poudel, Peter Bode, Rajesh Hamal, Lucky Sherpa and many more unknowingly we learned many things.

From the introductory session to all those fun filled breakfasts and dinners, acoustic nights, dance sessions, dance by R.K Shahi, partying in Busy Bee, interaction with the speakers, drama, comedy sessions, presentations,inspiring session by Saunak Bhatta, boating in Phewa lake and  all those efforts put on by YUWA is and will remain fresh in my mind forever.

 The orientation was just a beginning and the journey hasn’t yet started for us. Lots of challenges are yet to be faced and we are yet to accomplish a lot of things. But I am definitely sure they will also be equally interesting as the orientation and there's much more in store for us.