Skip to main content

Bold and wise decision

The Himalayan Times
5 April 2024

Bold and wise decision

It is known to everybody that an education is to acquire knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes that help to shape one’s life. That’s why, it is essential for the government to create disciplined, civilized, worthy, qualified, knowledgeable, and skilled citizens in the country keeping in mind the necessity of their roles in the national prosperity and development. However, it seems that the education sector especially public schools and colleges have been simply a place for the political parties to generate their political cadres to be used for their personal and parties’ political interest since the past few decades. In fact, a significant number of teachers are involved in political parties-affiliated teacher’s associations, which are primarily used during elections.

Due to the unproductive political games, the educational quality in the higher educational institutions, such as TU and its affiliated public campuses, are deteriorating by the day. Recently, in one of the events, PM Dahal opined that if the teachers do not engage in active party politics then the party structure of the entire nation would weaken, which drew heavy flak from the people. On the other hand, KMC Mayer, Balendra Shah, has appealed to the concerned political parties not to give any kind of membership related to party affiliation, to the teachers and employees of KMC. Likewise, it was surprising but encouraging to read “Process of ending party politics in education will start soon, says Education Minister” (THT, April 1, Page 1) at a time when the nation is reeling under political instability for the last one-and-half decades due to constitutional flaws about the electoral system. It remains to be seen whether the minister’s decision will be seriously followed and implemented.

An interesting question is whether the senior leaders of major political parties will end party politics in the education sector “End student politics” (THT, March 3, Page 4) and show serious commitment and create conducive environments for a politics-free educational sector where teachers will fulfill their responsibilities as educators, who could be seen and regarded as a source of free, qualitative and innovative education in the nation.

Rai Biren Bangdel
Maharajgunj

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Fragile Majority of Balen Shah’s Government

Whether the Balendra "Balen" Shah -led government will complete its full five-year term seems mathematically and politically viable but remains uncertain. His Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) holds a strong majority with 182 out of 275 seats in the House of Representatives (HOR). This gives his government a strong political holding and leads the country with a comfortable majority to fulfil its objectives and mission. However, the smooth administration and timely and successful implementation of development activities as desired by his government depends totally on the traditional bureaucratic system which could threaten its stability and political uncertainty. Key Factors Threatening Longevity Internal Party Dissent: It recently completed 100 days its term, several ruling party lawmakers began publicly criticizing Prime Minister Shah's rigid leadership style and the government's policy execution. Institutional Resistance: The administration's sweeping 100-...

Political surprises of Balen led government

Prime Minister Balen Shah’s government has broken from decades of entrenched patronage politics  in its 100 days as called " honeymoon period ". Marked by rapid shifts, sweeping administrative overhauls, and bold foreign policy maneuvers, his tenure has generated several defining political surprises. Sweeping Governance & Administration Overhauls: A New Cabinet Standard : His government bypassed traditional veteran politicians, forming a 15-member cabinet that made national headlines for exclusively consisting of highly educated professionals. Dismantling Party Unions: In his first cabinet meeting, he shocked the civil service by pushing to abolish party-affiliated trade unions and aggressively streamlining federal ministries from 25 down to 17. The " 100-Point Agenda " : His governemnt immediately published a strict, delivery-focused 100-point reform agenda with measurable deadlines, aiming to completely digitize office management and track adminis...

Strong government weak opposition

In the general elections held on March 5, 2026 the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won overwhelmingly 182 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives (HOR). Accordingly, a new majority government was formed under the leadership of RSP senior leader Balendra (Balen) Shah , without the support of any political party.    The RSP enjoys a comfortable majority government, whereas the oppositions are in weak positions in the national political history. The Nepali Congress (NC) has been reduced to a mere 38 seats. The CPN-UML holds 25, the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) 17, the Shram Sanskriti Party (SSP) 7, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) just 5. No other party managed to get even 10 percent of the total seats other than the NC. When the opposition is significantly weaker than a strong ruling party, the foundational checks and balances of a democratic system might be significantly weakened or break down. This has raised a fundamental question for the democratic republic ...