Professional Documents
Culture Documents
MPhil in Education
Tribhuvan University
Introduction:
In primitive age there were no organized forms of education, the entire environment
constituted a ‘school’ while all adults, and particularly parents, were ‘teachers.’ In these days,
due to the evolution of complex societies, the quantity of knowledge is so much that there arises
a need to evolve a more effective means of cultural transmission called ‘formal education’
(Abdullahi, S. U., 1996). Formal mass education system is believed to be emerged so as to cater
along with the bureaucratic needs of government. Later, public demand emerged so powerfully
that the system of mass education entrenched overwhelmingly in the society. Formal education
system consists of students, schools and teachers as the most important components and equally,
the parents and community also have important roles to play in the system. The government thus,
is found always playing the pivotal role in this sector. Even though, government alone is
insufficient to foster the education system and hence the support of other stakeholders and
community is more anticipated. While talking about education and community, considering the
means and ends of education underlies a very question that, can we educate for community
without being in community.
In this context, the paper aims to raise a discussion about educational development and
participatory approach on the foreground of educational activities.
Nepalese Context: During the Licchabi period, Nepalese society, with an indigenous scientific
and literary heritage, had a source of engineering, metallurgy and architectural skills. According
to Bista D. B., 1999, pp. 116- 128, Buddhist organizational practices had tended towards creating
regulated schooling systems with some centers of higher education connected with the
monasteries. The Hindu system of education, replacing the Buddhist educational system was
organized on the model of gurukul, evolved as Sanskrit Pathshalas (schools) which reduced in
teaching and learning of religious texts, rituals and praying. Sanskrit Pathshalas, eventually
introduced for the high caste children. With time, education ceased to have relevance for the
larger sector of population.
Ranas adopted the British system of education as practiced in India. As a symbol of
modernization though, within the confines of Rana palace, the first school (Durbar High School)
was founded by Rana premier Jung Bahadur Rana after his visit to France and England. The
school was accessible only to the Rana family and to those of upper class close to them. All the
graduates of the school were employed by the Rana rulers and school education became a
perquisite for an employment which appeared as the symbol of power and prestige to the public.
The only Durbar High School served the nation (particularly to the ruling elites) for forty
years. Then after, in 1901, Dev Shumsher Rana started opening up of almost two hundred
primary schools throughout the country. However, with the wary attitude towards education,
Chandra Shumsher, after sending him in exile, closed down the newly opened schools. During
this period, another kind of schooling called Bhasha Pathshala were developed.
A ministry of education was first established immediate after the overthrown of Rana
regime in the country. With this development, Bista, (1999) believes that it, led to a
bureaucratization of the educational civil service with a great increase in size of the
administrative machinery. With this change, new aspirations of hope and pride emerged in the
public for important social and political positions through education.
In 1954 Nepal government got technical and financial support from US government which
was directed to help develop Multipurpose High Schools and some colleges in various parts of
the country. The school system was expanded and opened to a greater range of people during the
late fifties and the sixties.
In 1969 the government of Nepal adopted a National Education System Plan (NESP). It
was so hardly accepted by the educated elites that they felt the plan was an unfair imposition on
them by a powerful minority. All schools except the Sanskrit Pathshala were nationalized by the
government. Later it was further supported by a committee called National Education Committee
(NEC) under the chairmanship of the Education Minister, launched a programme of National
Development Service (NDS). However, its effort remained unrealistic and pressurized by both
students and teachers. And, eventually the NESP was collapsed by 1979.
In the decade of 1940s, Nepal, formally adopted the mass educating system. According to
Kafle, A. P., 50 year’s effort went to literate only for 40 percent of people. Although three-
fourths of all children aged 6 to 10 years are enrolled in the primary schools, the National
Planning Commission and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report 1996 (as cited in
Kafle) found that almost one million Nepalese children lack access to primary education.
Kafle, illustrating HLNEC (1998) and MOE (1992) reports, further highlights the problems
our educational system as facing are: (a) a high rate of grade repetition, (b) a high drop-out rate
among students, and (c) a low quality of physical, academic, and pedagogical activities having
with excessive numbers of untrained teachers, teacher absenteeism, and ineffective supervision
have been the causes of low quality in education.
Understanding of Participation:
If you have come to help me you can go home again. But if you
see my struggle as part of your own survival then perhaps we can
work together.
-An Australian Aborigine Woman
(cited in the Manila Declaration)
In the development practice, the political debates of the late 1960s have influenced more
radical approaches to community practice. Community participation is seen as a way to
encourage community interest, involvement, ownership and ultimately to obtain sustainability
instead of seeking to help deprived communities to improve their social and environmental
circumstances (Midgley et al 1986: 20 – cited in Smith, M. K. 1999, 2006). However, the Manila
declaration on people’s participation and sustainable development (1989) expresses the concern
that, “current development practices are not just sustainable or inclusive but based on a model
that demeans the human spirit, divests people of their sense of community and control over their
own lives, exacerbates social and economic inequity, and contributes to destruction of the
ecosystem on which all life depends”.
They have call for a people-centered development model for active mutual self-help
among people, working together in their common struggle to deal with their common problems,
with recognizing self-respect and self-reliance of the community. It does not seek the
international philanthropic aid as the answer to poverty. The basic principles of people-centered
development model as the Manila declaration premised are:
1. Sovereignty resides with the people, who are the real social
actors. Freedom and democracy are universal human aspirations.
The legitimate role of government is to enable the people to set and
pursue their own agenda.
2. To exercise their sovereignty and assume responsibility for
the development of themselves and their communities, the people
must control their own resources, have access to relevant
information, and have the means to hold the officials of
government accountable. Freedom of association and expression,
and open access to information are fundamental to the responsible
exercise of this sovereignty. Governments must protect these
rights. People from all countries must work together in solidarity to
insure that governments accept and act on this responsibility.
3. Those who would assist the people with their development
must recognize that it is they who are participating in support of
the people’s agenda, not the reverse. The value of the outsider’s
contribution will be measured in terms of the enhanced capacity of
the people to determine their own future.
Participation thus, means that people’s direct and closed involvement in the processes of
every social, political, cultural and economic development activities having direct and complete
control over these processes with the freedom of association and expression along with a
democratic political environment so as to exercise their sovereignty.
Illustrating Epstein’s the theory of over-lapping spheres, Bull, A. et al. (2008) raised the
discussion that, students’ learning can be improved by building collaborative relationship
between schools, families and communities. According to the theory of ‘organizing framework’
as Epstein advocates would contribute to create a learning community with child at the centre by
sharing responsibility in the areas of parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home,
and decision-making along with collaborating community members.
National Strategy for Development of Basic Education in the Republic of Yemen 2003-
2015, Jones (2005), refers to the establishment of Fathers’ and Mothers’ Councils, in the
promotion of Community Participation. Such councils as local units of Ministry of Education
play vital roles in the advancement of trainings and other activities in social and community
works for the larger educational change.
Along with these suggestions, it would be better to establish SMCs with the
representation of all stakeholders in the education system. Information sharing and dialogue
among stakeholders, flexibility in funding, and timing establishing appropriate mechanisms for
ensuring accountability with proper monitoring and evaluation systems would strengthen and
promote the participation.
Conclusion:
According to Schumacher (1973), as Kafle, A. P. argues, ‘education and development
appear to be two sides of the same coin. Development does not start with goods; it starts with
people and education.’ Educational achievement depends upon the joint effort of common people
rather the matter of outsiders; the government and international concern. However, the concern
has been initiated from the core of international community. In terms of our local context, most
of us are suffering from weak, inadequate and inefficient administration and management skills
on the part of government as well as the key actors involved in this sector. Having the lack of
access to information on technical options, costs, benefits, and opportunities, people are not
coming willingly in the front of the play. On the part of government, it may require a strong
political will along with efficient management system of the provision of functional structure of
education administration, adequate information system for diagnosis, decision making,
monitoring and evaluation and well trained and motivated staff. Similarly, people and
communities should be made aware of the vision of education in implementing the means and
ends and the scope of basic education, enhanced learning environment, strengthened partnerships
so as to create school as a learning center of community.
References:
Bista, D. B., (1999); FATALISM AND DEVELOPMENT: Nepal’s Struggle For Modernization.
Orient Longman Ltd.: Govind Mitra Road, Patna.
Castelloe, P., Watson, T., & White, C., (2002); Participatory change: An innovative approach to
community practice.
Journal of Community Practice, 10(4), 7-32.
www.cpcwnc.org, (October, 2008)
Colletta N. J. and Perkins G.; Participation in the Education and Training Sector
The World Bank Participation Sourcebook
Appendix II: Working Paper Summaries
www.google.com, (October, 2008)
Jones, A., (2005); Conflict, Development and Community Participation in Education: Pakistan
and Yemen
Internationales Asienforum, Vol. 36 (2005), No. 3–4.
www.google.com, (October, 2008)