Revolutionary education

From The Nepali Press
Revolutionary education
Prof. Hajime Yamsita in Sikshak, July-August

FROM ISSUE #512 (23 JULY 2010 - 29 JULY 2010) | TABLE OF CONTENTS

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KIRAN PANDAY

Educational reform is one of the ways Nepal can be changed. Economic growth and education are intricately related. Only if people are educated and skilled can they work better and contribute to economic development. The problem with Nepal's education is that it is exam-oriented. It does not produce thinkers and innovators. Students should be taught in a way that motivates them to think about the problems of the nation and seek their solution. This does not require great resources, only a change in the teaching process.

Three things are essential for economic growth: confidence in oneself, determination to do something, and new ideas and innovation. Nepal's education fails to develop any of these qualities in students. If the political leadership today is dishonest and not committed to the nation's progress then it is largely because of the faulty education system. Nepal's education never taught them integrity, love for the country, or confidence in the capacity of the Nepali people.

I have been coming to Nepal for many years. In 12 years, I have visited Nepal over a dozen times. Every time I come here, I am fascinated by the optimism of the Nepali people. Even amidst abject poverty and deprivation, people have a deep faith in life, which keeps them going. There are many problems in Nepal at the moment but I am sure the positive attitude of its people will lead it towards progress in the future.

Japan went through major upheavals in the past but it bounced back, so there is no reason why Nepal cannot do it. And the first step to do so is through a massive change in its educational system.

1. DG
Prof.Hajime Yamasita should be asked to take classes for our leaders ,politicians and the civic society front liners as well some time soon . This is the best advice from a sincere friend of Nepal. He should be requested to be qan adviser to the Ministry of Education for some time.

Posted on: 23 JULY 2010 | 2:28 PM NST

2. Concerned
"Revolutionary Education" --> the title already is a slap in the face.

Instrumentalizing the education system for economic benefits is by no means a revolution in the education system.

What Prof. Hajime Yamsita calls for, is a reform of the current education system - he wants to improve the current education institutions by making them more efficient. The underlying idea, to use the education system to produce skilled workers and innovative thinkers that will strengthen the economy is neither new nor revolutionary. The true ideal of education, helping people to become independent and self-governed, cannot be reached as long as education is not an end in itself but a means to something else.

Further, a lot of injustice has been done to a large part of the Nepali population throughout the last decades. Suppression, deprivation and violence were/are part of the daily lives of many. Which reason is there then, to love your country? What has that country done for those suffering? Promoting nationalism in schools to create an illusion of unity as long as factually, that unity cannot be found in reality helps to cover up differences and unsolved disputes rather than offering a real solution.

Posted on: 24 JULY 2010 | 7:18 PM NST