From 1990 onwards, we've has a competition in Nepal...a competition among educators to give their academic institution the MOST ridiculous and/or absurd name. I know because, noticing it, I did a write-up on it and even stalked about it in my FM radio program in 1998. So, after three decades, who is winning? All of them...and naturally education is losing out.
Something on education I appear to have written in 1997-98 when I was in Nepal for a longish stay. It's basically some observations about education in Nepal--mainly how appears to be on a path it shouldn't be.
Nepali education system is so screwed up, schooling does NOT prepare you adequately for externally assessed terminal examinations. Furthermore, each stage of schooling does NOT prepare you for the stage that follow either. Instead, it requires that you get outside help to prepare yourself and continue your academic career!
What's the point of such an education system?!
A primary school poetry textbook contains 108 poems by 66 poets representing only 44 surnames. All but three were male poets. A vast majority (88%) of the poets were Bahun/Brahmin, hill so-called high Hindu, men who make up 6% of the population. And that's not even the worst.
Regardless, that makes one wonder, among other things, what the accomplishment of seventy or so years of education for the public has been. Who has the State been educating?
Nepal is NOT a knowledge-based economy. As a matter of fact, the aim of those in positions of power and influence--for whom power and money trumps everything--has always been to keep the population poorly education in order to control and manipulate them. So, view towers are prioritized over schools and libraries.
Nepali teachers, I have observed, do not use humor much or often. I am not sure why.
This blog contains embeds of two short clips from a presentation to students at a school in Kathmandu in which I use humor.