Education at the mercy of strikes

On December 7 Maoists called an educational sector bandh demanding the security of the Maoist affiliated teachers. Due to this all the schools and +2 colleges remained closed the entire day throughout the nation. This is not the first time that protesters are staging a strike that affects the academic institutions. Strikes and academic institutions have become interrelated. The Nepalese academic environment has been deteriorating since last few years due to widespread and damaging strikes. Strikes are hitting the academic institutions very hard. Strike has become a common but serious issue due to the never-ending political instability and selfish political interest among the political parties and their allied student organisations. Various political parties including Maoists are using Nepal bandhs, regional bandhs, district bandhs, education strikes and many other disruptions to flout their power and express dissatisfaction over the issues they have been raising. However they don't seem to be aware of the adverse effects of such actions on the academic environment of the colleges, universities, schools etc. Students, guardians and teachers are frustrated by such frequent strikes. They feel that the future of the students is at stake. The nation's future is under siege.

The frequent strikes and bandhs have derailed the education sector. No can deny that the student movement has played a significant role in politics from the beginning. In 1980, the then king had to declare referendum on the system due to the pressure from the student movement. Likewise the 1990's restoration of democracy also preceded active student participation in the political movement. Democracy has been pushed off track. Students are naturally, a vital section of the Nepalese society that gets agitated when the country's democracy is at stake. Colleges and schools are naturally the venues to hold political debates and organise their political ideas. Despite these facts, the political parties and their student allies must not forget that education is the foundation of both nation and democracy. We can find so many examples of continuance and maintenance of academic environment even in the countries driven by sharp political instabilities.

Keeping in mind these concerns they must rethink their strategies of agitation and expressing the voice of discontent. They should not hesitate to declare academic institutions as zones of peace and parties should give necessary emphasis to keep the education sector out of politics. The right of students to education is being violated by the so-called bandhs. The constitution of the kingdom of Nepal clearly guarantees individuals the right to education and right to engage in the occupation of their choice. The political agenda is dominating the education sector. The government has neither succeeded in providing an adequately secure environment nor addressed the issues of loyalty raised by the students.

Before it gets worse all the related sections of the society and the nation as a whole must immediately take some crucial steps to secure the bright future of the younger generation and the country itself.