CIVIC EDUCATION: ROLE OF YOUTHS IN LOCAL SELF- GOVERNANCE

Organised by Nepal Foundation for Advanced Studies (NEFAS)

11 November 2003, Rajbiraj

Rajbiraj has been the latest venue for the civic education seminar series that Nepal Foundation for Advanced Studies (NEFAS) has been organizing. The Rajbiraj discussion on "Civic Education: Role of Youths in Local Governance" took place on 11 November 2003, the very next day after a similar programme was held in Janakpur with a view to generate comments necessary for a publication on civic education. Participants were quite forthcoming in their views in spite of the uneasy situation prevailing in the country. They were more lively than in Janakpur, but they appeared more politically charged than prepared to discuss the inputs for a possible textbook. The reason for this could be that Janakpur participants knew what NEFAS was trying to do as several past programmes had already familiarized them with the needs of the seminar while Rajbiraj discussants were still new to the theme. This was the first programme organized by NEFAS there. An additional reason could be the sectoral approach to civic education, as the title itself says, which aims to limit participants to a small area of civic education while most commentators usually expect as a wide topic as possible so that a lot of comments can be made, particularly about the prevailing political scenario.

Local governance experts, political party workers, journalists and mainly teachers and academicians had been invited for the discussion. Like in Janakpur, the seminar had two sessions, one for the presentations and the other for floor discussion. Ram Kumar Dahal and Khagendra Prasain and Shiv Raj Dahal were the presenters while Hari Kant Lal Das, a local teacher chaired the two sessions. The discussions started as soon as the presentations were made.

FLOOR DISCUSSION

Prem B. Pande (political scientist): The paper should also have discussed the constitutional provision regarding participation of youths in local governance.

Birendra Prasad Shah (journalist): Regarding leadership that you discuss, discipline is of paramount importance and honesty is also needed.

Bijayanand Jha: Ram Kumar Dahal talks of parties making villagers illiterate. Is this a printing mistake? I think your move to make people aware at this juncture of time is a good thing.

I have found out that educated village youths are not staying in the villages. Unless you make the environment of the village attractive for youths to stay, they will not stay back. I do not see any suggestions regarding making villages attractive.

On Prasain's paper, I find it interesting. The present school curriculum does have a small chapter on civic education. That needs to be expanded and extended to all the classes in the school. Will your efforts regarding this be enough? I do hope a text book comes out of this effort.

Dr. Lakshmi Lal Chaudhary(teacher): What were the weaknesses in our leaders? Our country is lagging behind and our leaders are lacking in the qualities to take it forward. Parties give out tickets with their own priorities, like those who have been jailed in the past get first priority. How is this qualification relevant for leadership?

There are international examples where leaderships have successfully mobilized youth for the desired purpose. The papers should provide those examples.

Youths have been used by the politicians for their own ends, not for creating awareness among common people. As a result, their mind is devoid of any responsibility.

The cream of our country are being attracted by foreign lands. How do we stop them? What kind of employment opportunities do we need? We have not even been able to employ people who have been trained abroad, like engineers and doctors.
We are lacking in civic sense. This is not limited to youth, even old people are like that.

Nathuni Das: On page 9 and 10 Ram Kumar Dahal talks of brain drain in his paper.. There is also labour drain. Countries that suffer from this will eventually turn into an old age home.

Ram Khelawan Yadav: The problems we see today have been accumulated from the past. What did we forget to do that led to this situation? How can we avoid such situations in the future? What is that which is to be adopted by the youth for resolving the problem? We need to include civic education in the course books.

Shiva Narayan Yadav: What age do you consider as youth? What are the hurdles preventing youths from being active? What are the recommendations for making them active? What about differentiating the youths of the different parts of the Kingdom? I do not believe that youths from all eco regions are the same.

You should also include the liability and responsibility of the state and political leaders in making youths active. You should have included more youngsters in this seminar.

Regarding Khagendra Prasain and Shiva Raj Dahal's paper, you can create awareness in people through campaigns. Without civic education nation building is impossible. You should mention this. Civic education can also integrate nations and create international understanding, but what are the techniques that help these attributes develop in students?

Hem Narayan Chaudhary: On Dahal's paper, The prime minister has said that to resolve the Maoist problem, he was going to train village youths and give them guns. What kind of impact will this have on the society?

Secondly, We know that capacity building is necessary for youths to be made capable. But what is the capacity building we have had in the past regarding youths? Where is the budget allocated for that?

Prasain's paper distinguishes civic education with other types of education. In the past 12 years, we saw problems like corruption. To solve this problem, there should be anti-corruption education in classes up to Class 10. A bit of moral education is also needed for this.

Meena Thakur: I want to talk of women's rights and awareness. Once education is imparted to women, all the problems will disappear. Women at the moment are not able to get even traditional benefits like scholarship (freeship). Also, Daijo tradition suppresses awareness and imposes other social atrocities on women. Existing support to women should continue.

Baidnath Yadav: There is no data on Ram Kumar's paper regarding politics of alienation.

What is the cause of the diseases in the youth today?

Ava Setu Singh: The seminar is on youths. Could it not also have been designed for women youths? The person responsible for the programme should have been a woman.

Sunita Pokhrel: What are the local governance laws that discriminate women? You should have listed both the positive and negative discrimination provisions in the law.

Women have been forced to do hard labour while building roads, citing that they also benefit from such work. Why is the same logic not applied to provide them the available benefits and facilities.

Om Prakash Khatiwada: Civic education should be started from the basic and lower level, in primacy classes, not just when children turn into youths.

NGOs have been stressing on civic education while the state is not so interested. Political parties have used youths as their political workers only. I do not find the state's role in the paper?

Youths are being attracted by revolt at the moment. How do we free the youth from this and what is the state's role in this? Why are youths moving abroad? Why are they revolting? All state organs are revolving around themselves and no one seems to have time to think about youths.

We are talking of young women, but they do not seem to be here in the seminar. In Saptari district, untouchability and Daijo are the main problems. Local governments and administrations are not interested in solving them and usually shy away from problems.

Santosh Kumar: Women suffer a lot of pain in these parts. Daijo is a major problem.

Shivahari Bhattarai: The papers should have been distributed beforehand, at least a week ahead, so that we could think about our contributions.

Purushottam Bhattarai (advocate): Political parties should give tickets to at least 40 percent youths from their parties in elections.

Meena Diwas: Woman are not only an object to be commodified, but could prove to be essential parts of a society.

Bhola Upreti: It is not only ideology that contributed to rebellion in youths, but also mal governance. You seem to be disenchanted with the present Constitution.

Hem Shanker Singh: Foreign employment is taking place, but there is a lot of irregularities taking place in that sector. Similar is the case elsewhere. Even reservation in education for Dalits is being misutilized by non-Dalits. Standards need to be maintained regarding this.

How can there be civic education when youths are not even given citizenship papers?

Murali Prasad Yadav: The paper is good on generalities, but specific problems of youths of specific parts of the country could make the paper more effective.

During their reply all the three authors promised to include the relevant suggestions in their paper. While agreeing that not all was well with the politics in the country, the objective of the presentations were not to discuss politics, but to link the importance of civic education with politics so that things do not go out of hand due to ignorance. The seminar concluded after the chairperson made his final remarks.

Chairperson's remarks: I congratulate the paper writers. The papers should have included Tarai issues, including the Dahej tradition.
Greece had civic education. Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great had realized the importance of awareness of people in the nation's statecraft.
I also congratulate the participants.

Shiv Raj Dahal showed his gratitude to all the participants for making the discussions lively in his vote of thanks before breaking off for lunch.