Technical education in Nepal

Puja Chaulagai, one of our class 12 students, explores the benefits of technical education in Nepal. Enjoy!

 

Education which is based on practical knowledge is known as technical education. Since the dawn of heavenly creations, learning something new is a continuous process. One can learn either in formal way or in an informal way. The parents and grandparents share their experience and feelings with their children. Even animals and birds also teach their offspring. All these things are the part of the education. According to Mahatma Gandhi "education is the process that brings out the best in human beings, their body, mind and spirit." Human being needs to be polished with the light of education.

Technical education refers to the process of teaching and learning to impact knowledge rather than theoretical or academic education. It also refers to those education which gives extra knowledge rather than we learn in our school or college. Technical education is very much important factor that may bring drastic change to our life, community and the nation as well.

But in the context of our country Nepal, we don't find such type of education. Because our country is not so developed. We just get the knowledge how to pass the exam, how to get higher marks and how to get higher percentage than other competitive students. That's why due to first academic education people have to search for the job after their livelihood. We just give and take education by bounding in one exam every day. Therefore, technical education is more important.

In today's world many developed countries like USA, Japan, and Britain have gone far away in education than our country due to their advanced education, technical education. They don't learn and teach within just in one room, they go far for their practical for each and every subject matter. That's why their country is far better developed and powerful in the world among other countries. Their parents also don't compel to go to school or college. They have extra ordinary teaching and learning method. They just don't focus on academic courses; they focus on about their aim as well. Many latest inventions also came from developed nation because they are very much forward in every sector as well. They just do their task in technical way, that's the reason for their success.

Educated people can get the academic knowledge but the technically educated people get the academic knowledge as well as practically how to solve the problem that may occur in their every step of life. Technical education may be expensive but it is sustainable. It is most important rather than academic education. In fact technical education gives more positive things, drives away ignorance and illuminates one's personality. A person having academic education may have confusion about their future but the technically educated person has their future in their own hand.

Lastly, a responsible nation or society should provide its people with proper technical education for importing necessary knowledge and skills. Otherwise, development in all directions will be the sky in the lack of technical education. You, the leaders and learned person of our nations, open your ears wide and listen, to provide technical education rather than academic or theoretical education to all. In this there is your well being too. Technical education is now recognized as a basic need and a fundamental right too. Technical education is the greatest and unique wealth. This is neither detachable nor taxable. So, technical education is very important and essential for the today's nation.

Teej - does the festival of women empower or disempower women in Nepal?

We recently celebrated the festival of Teej, a celebration of women in Nepal. Sabitri Pathak, one of our class 10 students, explores the effects of Teej on the empowerment of women.

 

 

TEEJ

Sabitri Pathak

Teej is one of the most popular and highly observed festivals of Hindu women of Nepal. Mostly married women celebrate this festival with great joy. There are both negative and positive effects of Teej on women empowerment.

1)           Positive

a)    Refreshment:  Teej can be called as golden opportunity for married women to enjoy. Women on this day gather with their family and colleagues and dance all day long. They forget the pain and hardship they face daily at their husband's house. Women dance with such high spirits on an empty stomach whether sung live by a group of women or backed up by commercial songs on loudspeakers dancing to its tunes seems to keep women under some kinds of charm, busying minds even to remember hunger.

b)    Women Right: Festivals of Teej prioritizes women and encourage women right. Women needs and demands are usually supported and fulfilled in the family on the occasion of Teej. Usually other male members in the family do not interrupt women to celebrate this festival on their own way. Women can act freely on this day.

c)    Awareness: During Teej, women gather together to sing a song about hardships and share their sorrows. Beside this, nowadays women sing different songs on women violence and demand for their rights. They highlight women violence and demand their rights and security. It is a best time to aware all women including uneducated too to be conscious about their rights.

d)    Positive relation with husband: Women take fast for a whole day for the sake of their husband's prosperous and long life. At night, husband feed them with delicious food. This develops good relationship between husband and wife. Husband can ensure the women right and provide all the facilities that they want or should get. Due to these reasons Teej helps in women empowerment.

2)           Negative

a)    Priority to men (husband): though Teej is the main festival of women men are prioritize directly. Women take fast for their husband's long life. On this day, they treat their husband as a god. They are ready to obey their husband's command and never be ready to go against them even if they are unfair. They believe in their paths. But it's actually unfair while women are expected to prove their commitment, there's no effort from the husband's side. This negativity hinders women empowerment.

b)    Health related problem: women take fast for a whole day. They do not even drink a drop of water. Despite of their hunger, they dance with full passion and devotion. They do not care about their health and long term consequences of taking fast. They may face problem of gastric and low blood pressure. Beside, dehydration can even cause dry skin and many health ailments.

c)    Discrimination against widows: Teej is a religious festival. It is blindly believed and practiced that widow women are not allowed to celebrate teej like other women. Widow women are totally isolated and humiliated by the family and society. Such activities threat their sentiment and make them feel weak. This discourages them to take part in community works and hence, cannot be empowered.

d)    Encourage religious orthodoxies: Teej is celebrated according to Hindu myth. Hindu religion states that women should always treat their husband as god. Women should be limited in house hold works only. They should take care of their family members. Celebrating Teej encourages people to be more cultural and religious. They prefer to follow every epic belief. Due to this civilization of woman is very slow.

Thus, Teej is our cultural and religious festival. So the way of celebrating Teej should meet the need of women empowerment in order to preserve festival as well as empower the women in Nepal.