Oped»
One for all, all for one
JUN 07 -
The experience of visiting one of the thousand community managed schools in Nepal can be as inspirational as it can be depressing. It depends on the place you have chosen to go visit. It is depressing to see the poor infrastructure or the extremely lopsided teacher-student ratio or the stinking toilets or to find that students often have to pay even if the education is said to be free on paper. But to see the leadership and sense of responsibility exhibited by the local communities in charge of the school, and the commitment, dedication and engagement shown by the teachers, is quite inspiring.
In fact, the common people—despite the challenges, constraints and difficulties experienced daily—are the key constituents of a strong and sound community. In many cases, they have already shown what they can bring about localised and effective solutions for the children of this country. Look at the example of Sakuntala Tamang, an incredible case story of dedication and professionalism, an inspiring story that should be taken note of.
Sakuntala is the headmistress of a remote village in Makwanpur, probably not the most remote and inaccessible place on earth, but, believe me, quite remote. I visited Sakuntala’s school once during a needs assessment last year. As soon as we started our meeting, exhausted after a long day’s walk, I was completely stunned by her professionalism and capacities. I was completely struck by the passion, dedication and her strong desire make her school a model. I saw Sakuntala once again this year, briefly in training and once again her dedication and passion did not go unnoticed.
I do believe that people like Sakuntala (and I’m sure that there hundreds of others) should be considered the real heroes of this country. Can we multiply these people in the millions and have a new class of committed citizens active at the grassroots? I think we could, and we should. Teachers, school management committee members, representatives of parents-teachers associations and all the people that sacrifice their personal interest for the sake of their children are an example of a new society based on shared responsibility where people do not only expect but also perform. They should also be considered the brand ambassadors of what everybody calls federalism.
Creativity and the common sense of the people to start getting organised to exercise their voice and express their own solutions should lead the process. The principles inspiring this process and its outcomes should be made clear. We are talking about subsidiarity, the belief that people should be empowered to be the first to try to solve the issues concerning them, shaping the solutions locally according to particular needs and circumstances in a transparent, bipartisan and neutral way. In other words, localised decision making and locally tailored solutions from the people themselves. Do not get me wrong, this does not mean a power vacuum or withdrawal of the state from exercising its legitimate and constitutional powers. It means rewriting the concept of the state and society, with a stronger state based on people and communities with stronger say and power.
We are talking about the “revolutionary” principle of the duty to involve, where the public authorities at the different ladders of the state structure have to find new venues to involve people in the decision making process. It could seem obvious and granted, but we should perhaps look at the recent experience in the UK where the duty to get involved has been made effective by law.
Here, local authorities have to figure out creative and innovative ideas for the people getting at the centre of the political decision making process, and the people themselves have to proactively search for these new fertile political spaces. Obviously, the current political situation should rather bring me back to the sad reality of the day, a sudden and abrupt wake-up call should make me realise how different Nepal is from other countries, especially in this transition. But it’s the people themselves who have the answer ready when they challenge and defeat the apathy of the difficult circumstances.
Political parties are and always will be a key constituent of any modern democracy, but let’s try to figure out a way to free up ground for unbiased and passionate and above-the-party-line civic engagement that can be transformative and regenerative in its final outcome. The final outcome is called the Big Society as it has been defined in the UK by the Conservative Party in their winning manifesto; but to tell you the truth, it had already been initiated by Blair. A society where people feel proud to be part of the local community because they have the chance not only to express their voices but are also entitled to offer answers and solutions. It’s a society where the communities are the result of voluntarily “glued” citizens united despite their differences for the wellbeing of the place where they live.
It’s a place where people are first of all empowered citizens who are not shying away from taking up the challenges and try hard to find solutions. It’s a place where the newly empowered citizens do not mind dedicating their spare time to those living in the communities who might be in need of help and support. It’s a place where the people are ready to serve the nation through committed and engaged volunteering actions to make a difference. We can make our places better places if we work together. For this reason, the schools can be an example of the “one stop shop” to build the Big Society.
In this sense, the school is not only an agent that provides learning opportunities to the children of the community, but it can also be considered as an engine for community development and engagement. In fact, the schools, especially the locally managed ones, should be seen not only as the hub for dispensation of knowledge but also as a platform to create a sense of common roots and belonging to one particular territory, be it a rural ward or urban neighbourhood. The same students, often active in the local school children clubs together with the mother groups that run early childhood development centres, are another example of the untapped potential whose energies and enthusiasm should be mobilised for the common good.
Around the world, learning and serving curricula are mushrooming where students are effectively engaged in community service as true passionate social workers; and at the same time, they do acquire practical knowledge for their studies and careers. In fact, the Big Society is also an open and inclusive society where opportunities should be available for all and the venue should be accessible for all (elders included) so that everybody will be able to give their contributions. Openness, respect for differences and capacity to understand the other’s point of view and unity in the pursuit of the common interest are the ingredients to create a Big Society based on the cohesion of communities, the new islands of “human prosperity”.
To conclude, the tireless dedication of Sakuntala in her daily school life shows how people can take up life’s challenges and effectively tackle them. It could be in the school, it could be in the work place, it can be on the sidewalk of a congested road or on a remote path of rural Nepal. All the people who are putting aside their personal priorities and careers for the sake of society should deserve an award or at least a standing ovation from the profound part of our hearts. People like Sakuntala are the ones who are truly making our “society big”, a good beginning that we should encourage.
(The author works for not profit sector in Nepal)
Posted on: 2010-06-08 08:06
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