Modernise Education

Vartika Upadhyay

The irony of our education system is that it has us re-questioning the precepts we learned when we were young. The malleable minds we have as children are shaped by the social factors affecting them. Children are at a developing stage in their way of thinking, seeing, and defining life. We are shaped into the people we are because of what we are taught in school.

Nepal’s education system hasn’t changed from a half century where the talent of a student is defined by how the student performs in the examinations. The stereotypical scenario of the classroom is never-ending, where the teacher acts as an authoritarian and the students are a group of listeners. Academia convinces students that intelligence is measured by their ability to memorise.

In Nepal, the students' backpacks are heavier than their future. The world is evolving and changing, but yet our education system hasn’t changed much. The pressure of studying six-seven subjects in a day with additional homework just gives the children more stress and pressure instead of the curiosity they should be having. Students are just like a flock of sheep driven by the academic community.

Uma Pradhan, an author and a researcher, said that as Nepal interacted with global institutions on ensuring universal education, the uneven distribution of educational services became even starker. In the time of artificial intelligence and globalisation, the traditional method of education is getting out-dated, and there should be more practical courses and subjects like information communication and technology (ICT).

The inclusion of technology and digital literacy in the school curriculum will help students and teachers acquire the skills that they will be seeking in the near future. Sports, along with other curricular activities, should be given equal importance in school as the talents of students can vary from person to person.

A study, conducted by researchers Emily Hannum and Sharon Stash in 2001, indicates that caste, ethnicity, and gender inequality continued to severely affect enrolment into schooling and attrition from elementary school in Nepal. In a classroom setting, where the student should be identified with his/her interests and accomplishments, is recognised by his/her caste. The title of the surname gives the teacher an idea of their upbringings, which can also create biasness in the way they are treated.

 The problem of colourism starts at a very young age when we are learning types of colour and the colour of skin is defined by showing us a picture of a fair-looking person. Sexism starts when we are learning basic words like "pretty" or "strong," where men are defined as strong and women for the definition of "pretty." 

The education system makes us believe that we lack social skills. Normalisation of their vicious practices in our daily life has made things worse. All kids should be aware that academic accomplishment does not necessarily translate into success in life.

Albert Einstein says, "Everybody is a genius." But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.  In a nutshell, we should let students and children discover their own likes and interests rather than impose our expectations on them.