Kathmandu Post

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Politicised education

SEP 18 -
Nepal is currently struggling to institutionalize its political order in the aftermath of its civil war and 2006 uprising against the monarchy. This is what lies at the core of the debates in the Constituent Assembly and the issue of the transformation of the Maoist party. The countries student unions, affiliated to the political parties, are similarly attempting to carve out a role for themselves in a situation where the political order is relatively stable. For much of Nepal’s recent history, student unions were instruments of mass mobilization against an undemocratic regime. During the Panchayat years, they worked as fronts of the banned political parties. The Maoist student union, during the years of the war, too acted as a party front to engage in mass politics while the top-leadership of the party was underground. And student unions of all hues and stripes played a crucial role in mobilizing the masses against the regime of King Gyanendra.

In all these cases, student unions played a crucial role. Now, however, circumstances have changed, and there is no need for student unions to play a role in the struggle against the state. Yet, to a large degree, these unions continue to work as agents of mass mobilization. While the positive aspects of these unions cannot be underplayed, there is no doubt that its methods of operation have caused a degree of instability, even anarchy, in colleges across the country. They still haven’t given up their violent ways, and they perceive all authority to be in an adversarial relationship to them. As a result, there is tension between the authorities in universities and students, there is a situation where disruption in education erupts at the slightest provocation. And there is discontent within the unions as their members feel that they have a limited role to play in the broader political sphere.

There is thus need for the leaders of the student unions to redefine their role in the new context. In particular, as Gagan Thapa said at a discussion yesterday, they need to pay more attention to matters of public policy, especially as related to the education sector. This is a task that student leaders have been reluctant to undertake. For too long they have visualized their role as being agents of mass mobilization; they appear to be unwilling and too impatient to undertake the slow and difficult work involved in debating policy and influencing the framing of laws. Student leaders should understand, however, that if they want a prominent role in the politics of a future, this is a role that they cannot escape. In fact, it is in this area that they will have to demonstrate their competence in the days ahead.

Posted on: 2011-09-19 08:48

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