Freedom to study

We Nepalese are educated under an archaic educational system. The so called educationists in Nepal are unaware that this system would better function if it were displayed in a museum. Our society also functions on that very basis- if you obtain certain specified marks, then you are deemed a good student and otherwise. It is not the content or the quality of the answer that matters, but it is actually the length of the answers you give- notwithstanding what you write in the answer, mind you. Writing about Osama Bin Laden’s assassination in a question about general relativity is a commonplace here, and it is accepted too if the length of the answer is that desired by the teacher.

Here, the people don’t have the liberty to study what they want to study- or that to cease studying when we want to do that. Say a person is very much interested in physical science. The academicians care not where in the boy’s interest lies- he is mandatorily made to study 10 subjects until his class 10, most of which will do him no good later on. And to add to that, he has to study how to get marks rather than how he can amass knowledge. He has to analyse critically how to analyse the pattern of the questions rather than analysing the pattern of answers he has to present to those questions. He is under pressure to score too, and thus has no choice but to memorise the questions. Thus, he fails to understand say integration even though he can do lengthy integrations pretty easily.

After all, social survival is the primary objective of the students here. They understand that life is a race and if they don’t rush, they are bound to be left behind. However, when we compare our education with that of the western nations, we turn green with envy. A future mechanical engineer learning the slokas of the Vedas is a pitiful site indeed. A doctor learning agriculture at high school for instance or a mathematician learning herbal medicine, or a future writer learning home science-these situations may seem absurd to an outsider, but it is a commonplace in our society.

Had we been provided with the opportunity to study what we really liked, our development would have been much faster. A wise man had once said-“Efficiency at doing something comes with experience, experience is derived from interest”.  I never wanted to wake up at 7 every morning and get ready for school, or wear the same dress every day and sit in classes. I didn’t want the dictator of a principal we have here at our school to scold me every day. All I wanted was to study. I didn’t want home-works to do; I do mine myself. All I ever wanted was the freedom to study what I wanted to study. Many of my friends also agree with my philosophy. If I were allowed to add an extra topic to those mentioned by President Roosevelt, I would advocate in favour of “THE FREEDOM TO STUDY”, after which, I believe that all of us here would be content with the Rights guaranteed to us by the constitution.