Nepal’s educational system needs fundamental change

Nepal’s political parties and leaders appear incapable of solving our national problems. More than that, they have not even begun to identify the issues and problems to be addressed. The characteristics of effective leadership, clear vision, creativity, innovation and ethical behaviour; seem to be absent.

What is the reason behind our present lack of effective leaders? Could it be a fundamental flaw in our educational system? Like many emerging nations, Nepal has adopted a rote learning approach in education, which has remained unchanged since formal education was first practised. Is it surprising, then, that we cannot turn out citizens and leaders who demonstrate clear vision and independence?

Nepal’s formal education system is just one point of a triangle. The others are our religious, social and cultural values. Together they form an integrated, self-supporting unit, forming our identities and directing our actions as Nepalese.

This education system, long since abandoned by more developed nations, tests students’ memory while ignoring their skills. It barely addresses issues such as developing leadership qualities, moral values, self-confidence and creativity.

The education system of Nepal is not designed to develop leaders, original thinkers, learners, creators, inventors or innovators. This fact is not just true at pre-primary level, but also, sadly, at our country’s universities. The system creates citizens who have memorised a ‘solution’ for each ‘problem’. But in real life, we constantly face and must respond to new problems that we have never met before. Can we find the answers to these problems in books, or among the existing solutions? Each situation we encounter is new. So should be its solution.

This country’s leaders are also the products of the same society. If you can imagine this country’s leaders as victims, then they are also the victims of the rote learning education system initiated by forefathers. These leaders were taught to seek a ready-made solution for pre-defined problems. When our leaders encounter problems, they look for solutions that worked in the past, or worked elsewhere. But today is not yesterday. They think that ‘if it worked then, it will work now’.

The same is true for the Nepal Bandh (Strike). The Nepal Bandh was an effective tool in overthrowing Panchayati System. However, it is not the magic wand our leaders believe it to be. Does the Bandh address national problems and issues such as corruption and poverty?

These leaders who instigated the Bandh follow their own linear rationale. Those who participate share the same reality – that what worked yesterday will work today. But the reality they knew has already changed while they were looking elsewhere. They are using what worked ‘then’ to deal with what is happening ‘now’. Never in the past has learning become so obsolete, so quickly, as today.

How can we avoid repeating today’s mistakes in the future? If our formal education system were to focus on teaching students on how to learn – rather that feeding them soon to become obsolete information – we might have a chance. In fact, we would have more than a chance. By educating the children of today – now – to be flexible, inquiring and creative – we will be guaranteeing citizens of tomorrow who will be the caretakers of our cultural identity. Is it too much to dream of a Nepal that is an academic center of excellence? It only takes one generation.

Unfortunately, Nepal’s education system is still following the same rote learning approach at all levels of the education system. This is not just true of schools, colleges and universities, but also of the majority of training events organised at various levels. Many people believe that the education system is getting better and better. How can they say this while we have yet to develop an appropriate indicator to measure the quality of education, which is linked to any national and individual future vision?

Certainly, there are some schools trying to bring changes in teaching methods and design. Sadly, they can not go far due to the flaws in the fundamental system and policy. The best schools in Nepal are judged by their SLC (School Leaving Certificate examination) performance, which forces them to follow rote / examination-oriented learning, whether they like it or not. All apparent attempts to improve the education system are superficial and will prove futile unless there are fundamental changes in the education system at the national level. The concern now is who will do it? Who will rescue the Nepalese from this counter-productive and obsolete system? The only thing we seem to know is how to import ideas from other countries without doing our homework first. And while we are copying our neighbours ‘answers’, it never occurs to us that they might have got it wrong.

The present leaders, irrespective of their political values and their formal or informal qualifications, have one thing in common – they have nothing new to offer. The ‘Nepal Bandh’ seems to be their magic tool to solve all the national problems. This is a typical example of convergent thinking where only one answer to a question is found. It is a typical effect of the rote learning system.

Blaming others is easy. But the actual fault is in the system, which must be corrected fast. This is proving costly to the nation. With increasing international competitiveness, our delay in addressing this situation may prove fatal. What are the Nepal Bandh, the Maoist problems, the rampant corruption and the pervading poverty? Nothing but a manifestation of a system that does not work. All are symptoms of a disease, more intense and deeper than it appears.

We need to bring fundamental changes in our thinking and value system to effectively address urgent issues like corruption, violence, and poverty. We must move from adaptive learning to creative learning and from a convergent to a divergent problem solving approach. We must let go of our negative approaches and perceptions, and embrace the positive.

The quickest way is to take a fundamental look at the education system of this country. If we improve it now we may expect a result after 15-20 years. This may sound like a long time, but, in the national context, is very brief. We need an education system that is appropriate to our own national context and our own needs. We need an education system that is responsive to the environment, national vision, and value system that we want to promote. We must promote divergent and creative thinking. If we miss this opportunity, we put our children’s future at risk. They will experience the results of the choices we make today.