tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27310375381034032922024-02-21T03:14:31.119-08:00Identity, Ideas and DiversityMusings on language, education, identity, globalisation and contemporary societyPremhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-78390091410441519482013-01-12T21:29:00.000-08:002013-01-12T21:29:43.521-08:00Afraid of people <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Since the dissolution of Constituent Assembly (CA), identity has emerged as a critical issue in the Nepali political discourse. The media, political meetings and social networks like Facebook, twitter are flooded with views identity politics. It is praiseworthy that people have started critical discussions on identity issues. However, these discourses also reflect one disturbing ideology—us v them—leading to the polarisation of society and politics in terms of ethnicity. As we see, historically marginalised communities, especially Janajatis, are interpreting identity from the socio-historical perspective while the mainstream political parties are reducing this issue to a narrow sense of ethnicity. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">One consequence of this polarisation is ethnophobia as seen currently in sections of our society. At face value, ethnophobia refers to the irrational hatred of others in terms of their personal backgrounds like caste and ethnicity, religion, nationality, language, social class and gender. In a broader sense it refers to the illogical discomfort and fear of people. However, different types of ethnophobia are not separable because personal backgrounds are concrete manifestations of people. Let me exemplify these ethnophobias with some remarks I collected from different social media. Being a member of many social media groups, I often see an interesting dohori among people on the issue of identity, federalism, language and ethnicity. One group in the dohori is composed of Janajatis while another group represents the high-caste non-Janajatis.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Words and phrases like “anapadh ra murkha Janajatis” (uneducated and stupid Janajatis), “pakhe” (uncivilised), and “sankuchit sochaka manche” (narrow-minded people) are often used to address the Janajatis while terms like “janaibadi” (wearer of the holy cord), “saranarthi” (refugees), and “jali” (dishonest) are some examples of the words and phrases that Janajatis use the other way around. Although these words and phrases cannot be essentially linked with any caste and ethnicity, it is apparent that Facebook users are highly influenced by the type of language being used by our leaders who unknowingly seem to ignore the unsettled identity discourse now. For example, a member in a Facebook group reacted: “ekkaisau satabdi ma pani jatjati ko kura garne ...sap?” (Are you talking about ethnicity in the 21st century?), when one Janajati person wanted to know why political parties are not able to forge consensus on the identity issue. Accordingly, in response to his question, many Janajatis commented about the non-Janajati as being “ekatmakbadi” (unitarist), “Hindu-atibadi” (pro-Hindu extremist), and “bhrastachari” (corrupt).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">We see that such discourses reflect ingrained socio-political ideologies dominating the current Nepali society and politics. If we analyse the political discourses one clear theme emerges: while the Janajatis are considered “jatiyatabadis” (ethnocentrists) just because they are raising identity issues, high-caste people are described as “sanghiyata birodhi” (anti-federalist), anti-Janajatis and “pahichan birodhi” (anti identity). Both views are at once true and false. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">It is not true that all high-caste people are anti-federalists, anti-Janajatis and pro-Hindu extremists. Critical writers have eloquently argued that political parties’ inability to build a consensus on identity issues, as demanded mainly by the Janajati leaders, stems from the pro-Hindu and mon-oethnic, hegemonic mindset—the reluctance to accept multiculturalism, multilingual and multi-ethnicity as the country’s identity. But what is true is that the way identity is interpreted (by the mainstream political parties and their leaders as well as some extremist Janajatis) as synonymous to ethnicity and vice versa is traditionally a racist interpretation. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Reducing identity to an ethnic agenda reflects not only a lack of our leaders’ understanding about what identity means and how it operates in different spaces, places, time and scales, but also their unwillingness to listen to the people’s voices and unravel what makes identity salient in the country’s changed political context. Rather, our leaders are more entangled with essentialist ideas that see the world as a dichotomous objective entity as seen in the Facebook conversations mentioned above. Interpreting that raising the issue of identity will lead to ethnic cleansing, civil war, and national disintegration, as seen in our leaders’ public remarks, is rather naive, illogical and ideologically reductionist. It reflects nothing short of political schizophrenia. The way Janajatis are not able to make people understand what identity means for them and how it ensures the co-construction of ethnic lived spaces clear is another factor leading to the polarisation of the whole society. One way to understand this complexity is to look at how identity intersects with other factors like history, class, language, culture, place and social exclusion. However, in absence of serious scholarly and political debates on the complexity of politics-identity-ethnicity nexus for state restructuring, the fissure between high-caste people and Janajatis is increasing at the ideological level, if not at the lived level. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The Facebook conversations further show that the way people comment on each other’s posts is determined by their surnames. Even if issues are genuine, certain people do not like them just because they are not raised by a person from their own caste or ethnicity. We see that social discourses are dominated by superficial ethnic talks while genuine socio-political agendas that ethnicity and caste carry in the historical and socio-cultural context of Nepal are sidelined. Such escapism reflects the dwindling civic and political culture of our society. Critiquing someone’s value and ideology in terms of his or her caste and ethnicity is racist. Such ideological fragility is the main factor behind our leaders’ inability to agree on national political issues. They are afraid of each other’s backgrounds and as a result, they are afraid of people.</span></div>
Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-19578146345182071532012-10-07T16:54:00.001-07:002012-10-07T16:54:12.728-07:00The hula way | Opinion | Oped | ekantipur.com<a href="http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/10/07/opinion/the-hula-way/361243.html#.UHIWEfa3jsY.blogger">The hula way | Opinion | Oped | ekantipur.com</a>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-78282171599758877312012-09-01T18:43:00.001-07:002012-09-01T18:43:17.605-07:00Fatalistic Chakari<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dor Bahadur Bista, also known as the ‘father of Nepalese
anthropology’, unravels some critical socio-cultural aspects of Nepal’s endeavor
to modernization and development in his groundbreaking book ‘Fatalism and
Development: Nepal’s Struggle for Modernization’ (1991). Although
controversial, his views that bifurcate why Nepal’s efforts to development fail
are worth contemplating. </div>
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His view on how <i>chakari, </i>as a fatal culture,
obstructs Nepal’s development endeavor still carries a huge currency in the
country’s transitional political context. Bista argues that chakari (literally
‘sycophancy’) ‘as a social activity, is simply being close to or in the
presence of the person whose favor is desired.’ During my informal discussions with the people
from all walks of life after the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly (CA)
in May, a common issue that I found was their frustration toward the
accountability of political parties, increasing corruption and abuse of power
and authority. I had also got an
opportunity to talk to some young cadres of three big political parties,
Maoists, NC and UML. They were very anxious about their political future because,
as they have argued, the leadership in their respective parties seems to be more
undemocratic in their ways of functioning. They strongly criticized that the
political parties, mostly led by old leaders, have to be more transparent on what,
why and how they are making every decision for the benefit of the country at
large. Most interestingly, they also shared that the CA was dissolved because
the discussions on the issues of national restructuring was limited to the top
leaders of major political parties. </div>
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I also had a series
of profound discussions with villagers on the relevance of education for their children’s
upward social mobility and development. Crucially, most of them contemplated that
education their children are receiving may not contribute to their personal and
social development. They said that even if their children are qualified they do
not get job opportunities. For them, a job refers to <i>sarkari jagir</i> (jobs
in the government offices). They have
developed such a belief because they have seen that many qualified people (even
with Masters Degree) are not employed yet and youth have been flying to the gulf
countries for jobs. It is unfortunate
that youth population in villages is disappearing rapidly. Due to this, it is
becoming tougher for the elderly people to cultivate farm lands, which are left
barren in many places. </div>
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The villagers also said that they did not have a close
relationship with any people (especially political leaders) with certain kind
of power. They strongly believe that without having <i>afno manche </i>(relatives),
as argued my Bista, there is a little chance of being employed in Nepal. General
people accept as true that one’s merit is judged on the basis of whether or not
he or she is close to the people with power especially to the top party leaders.
A middle-aged farmer from Ilam contended that although his son is qualified and
experienced he was denied a job in an NGO in which another person who was less
qualified was offered the job because the NGO was run by the friend of latter’s
brother. </div>
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These voices indicate that Nepalese society is guided by the
chakari system in which meritocracy is considered less important than personal relationship.
One of the most crucial manifestations of the system is the
‘taken-for-granted-culture’ that is seen in almost all institutions (e.g.
politics, NGOs, schools and universities). We see that most of the present
political leaders from the big parties are not ideologically indoctrinated with
their respective political camps rather they have sympathy from the top
leaderships. There are very few leaders who have developed themselves by
raising critical issues against their party leaderships. As the cadres are always afraid of being penalized
by the leadership they do not elevate their voices although they know that the
leadership is doing right things. </div>
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Another form of chakari
is <i>chukli</i>, the way one plays a double role. Generally, Nepalese spend their most of times
talking about others. They do not really discuss a particular agenda or issue rather
gossip on other’s personal matter for hours. In order to please the leadership
of any institution, an employee or cadre reports him what other people (from
the same institution or outside) was talking (or not even talking) about him. Such
chukli system not only weakens the leadership skill but also ruins the
integrity of any institution. There are many cases of increased enmity among
people including family break-ups due to chukli. </div>
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This is applicable to the political parties as well. Those
leaders who do not have a vision and leadership skill spend most of their times
criticizing each other. Rather than talking about the issues of national
development, our leaders have confined themselves in grumbling each other. This
tradition has not only promoted the chakari system but also weakened their
political spirit. Rather than promoting fair
and free democratic system, our leaders are engaging themselves in fostering
nepotism promoted by chakari and chukli. For them the best person is one who
can be around them every moment than the one who is critical to them. </div>
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The chakari-produced leaders have very little idea of
leadership and negotiation skills. They cannot contribute to strengthen
democracy and do not even think of national development. Chakari not only makes
a leader resistant to diverse ideas and workforces but also increases dependency.
The lack of our leaders’ productivity at critical moments is the result of
their mind-set grounded on the chakari. What is urgent for our political leaders, at
this moment, is to put chakari and
chukli (can be external and internal) aside and discuss agendas for the
national development. They must promote critical dialogues in their own parties
that lead us to build a free, fair and harmonious Nepalese society. </div>
</div>
Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-43118547010499978412012-08-06T22:37:00.000-07:002012-08-06T22:37:21.454-07:00Country without people<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The centrality of ‘people’ in a democratic polity is undeniable. People’s voices are the most significant aspect of any democratic country. People are an invisible yet powerful center for the sustainability of democracy. However, how and to what extent are their voices heard by the political parties that tend to represent them? Why do political parties often forget people’s mandates? These are some critical issues to be discussed in the changed political context of the country. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Just before and after the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly (CA), I am having a series of informal discussions with people from different walks of life. I went to my birthplace to meet my parents earlier this month. During my informal discussions, the villagers expressed their strong discontent with ‘Rajnitikaran’ (politicalisation) in all sectors, especially in </span><a href="http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2012/07/14/free-the-words/country-without-people/237196.html#" id="_GPLITA_0" in_rurl="http://www.textsrv.com/click?v=VVM6MTk3MTk6MTQ3OTpzY2hvb2xzOjQ4NmExMDllOGMzYzQxOTA1YjVhNGU5MzFmNWVmNjY4OnotMTA4Ni0yNjc1OTp3d3cuZWthbnRpcHVyLmNvbQ" style="color: #4d7b21; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;" title="Powered by Text-Enhance">schools</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">. One of my seniors said there was likely a fight among Maoists, CPN-UML, Nepali Congress and Limbuwan cadres regarding a controversial recruitment of a new ‘Rahat’ (relief) quota teacher in a local school where I finished my primary education. He criticised that, in the name of consensus, political parties are recruiting their cadres in different committees and activities related to development in the village. Jokingly, he said that he was offered some opportunities by different political parties if he would join their parties. During another talk, a teacher from a neighbouring village said, “I was challenged by the cadres of political parties when I raised questions regarding the decision of the ‘sarbadaliya samyantra’ [all party mechanism] to allocate the budget haphazardly in the village.” He further shared that his query about the sovereignty of people is simply ignored by the ‘samyantra’. He said the members of the ‘samyantra’ turned a deaf ear when he asked them whose voices—the people’s or party leaders’—should receive attention in democracy. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">These two anecdotes are examples only. The contentions shown by the common people during my visit to eastern Nepal reflect two issues. First, there are many cases of abuse of authority and misuse of the budget allocated for the village development committees (VDC). Although political parties fight each other over agendas, they make consensus on sharing budgets equally. It is apparent that almost all developmental budgets are handled by the cadres of different parties, as they have their hold in the consumers’ committee. Second, in the guise of development, political parties are free to impose their worldviews through the ‘samyantra’. Surely, this is not good for democracy. But there are two fundamental reasons behind the emergence of this situation. First, all political parties know—even in each ward of a VDC—the number of party cadres. They not only distribute memberships to the people, but also appease them financially (not ideologically). Through unions, political parties also know the number of teachers, professors, doctors, </span><a href="http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2012/07/14/free-the-words/country-without-people/237196.html#" id="_GPLITA_1" in_rurl="http://www.textsrv.com/click?v=VVM6MjA3OTk6MTQ3OTpzdHVkZW50czpmYzMzYzRlYTNhYzdhZmJjN2RkZjRkOGU5NjI5MGE5Mzp6LTEwODYtMjY3NTk6d3d3LmVrYW50aXB1ci5jb20" style="color: #4d7b21; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;" title="Powered by Text-Enhance">students</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">, engineers, pilots and so on who are affiliated with their parties. It seems that through politicalisation of all sectors, Nepali society is fragmented in accordance with the number of political parties. This fragmentation has already weakened the integrity of civil society. Due to this, political parties are not really worried about their accountability to the people. They often break their promises for nation building, as they are confident that their cadres must vote for them again. If party cadres do not vote for their leaders, they are penalized. They cannot be critical about their leaders and the agendas of parties. This leads to the imposition of central and top leaders’ ideology to the cadres at the bottom. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Second, indirectly, people are forced to become a member of a political party. For example, all teachers should be affiliated with a political party for their professional security. Without being affiliated with a party, it seems that people are not able to get jobs, because being a member of a political party is the first criterion to be qualified for employment. This may be good for the political parties to win elections, but due to lack of neutral and critical mass, political parties not only become weaker, but also tend to be less accountable to the people. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Present political chaos results from a lack of a critical population. We have developed a unique culture where people are not ready to accept the mistakes of the parties they are affiliated with. Everything that is accomplished by their party is right, and whatever is accomplished by others’ parties is wrong. Why are our political parties not able to forge consensus even if they sit for a series of talks? It is because they are part of a political culture where whatever other parties say is always wrong. This indicates that our parties need to revamp the way they are functioning. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">First, they have to develop a culture of listening to others, critically assessing their own agendas and seeing how they can develop a common ground to forge consensus with other parties. Second, they have to rethink their organisational structures. Rather than forcing people to take membership, political parties have to take their agendas to the grassroots level and educate people about their vision for national development. They have to let people decide which parties’ agendas are better. This will ultimately foster a culture of political harmony and respect for other people’s sovereignty. Last but not least, political parties, as a key agency to foster democracy, should think of increasing the critical mass of people who can closely assess their ideologies and activities. In the absence of ‘people’, as it is happening currently, political parties cannot develop their ability to govern the nation and contribute to social transformation and nation-building. </span>
</div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-61424749249029294162012-07-09T09:37:00.002-07:002013-08-22T22:02:15.027-07:00Globalization, neoliberalism and commodification of English in Nepal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="fltL news_details_text"> Globalization</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fltL news_details_text">Nepal never had an English colonial history nor has it recognised
English as an official language in its constitutions until now. Yet, the
English language has already become a principal component of the Nepali
education system. Two key forces—globalisation and neoliberalism—have
contributed in this regard. When Nepal opened its door to foreigners
after the end of the Rana regime in 1950, the flow of foreigners for
tourism, business, research, development, religion and education
increased briskly in Nepal. The number of multinational companies and
international non-governmental organisations is increasing these days
due to Nepal's membership in various international organisations such as
the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the United Nations.
With their arrival, foreign languages (like English) and cultures have
also made their visible space in the country, especially in big cities
like Kathmandu and Pokhara. Cinemas, cafes and English medium schools
now proliferate these cities. <br />
With the tourist industry booming, English has reached rural places
like Jomsom, Muktinath and Dhorpatan. We see illiterate people who sell
flowers, Nepali arts, clothes and other gift items in various tourist
spots like Dakshin Kali, Thamel, Pashupati, and Pokhara speaking
survival English to communicate with <br />
foreign tourists. Realising the importance of English in tourist areas,
public schools are gradually shifting their medium of instruction from
Nepali to English, as has been the case in Ilam district as reported by
The Post (25/01/2009). Quoting a fifth grader, Sandhya Rai, The Post
reported, “Hundreds of children in this tourist destination are unable
to realise their dream of speaking fluent English. Taking into account
the need of English medium education in this remote village of Meghma,
Saraswoti Primary School has begun teaching English from the very
beginning'. English speaking tourists who visit this area mainly for
trekking respond to their use of English and encourage them by providing
books and stationery. <br />
With the arrival of foreign tourists, major cities like Kathmandu and
Pokhara have already become global cities marked by hybrid languages and
cultures. Places like Thamel and Lake Side (Pokhara) are full of
restaurants, cafes, hotels, bars, <br />
and recreation centres. Even a rickshaw-puller communicates in broken
English with foreigners in these places. Major cities are full of
shopping malls where foreign goods are sold. <br />
Technology is also contributing significantly to the expansion of
English in Nepal. Although we have only had mobile technology in this
country for the past 12 years, according to Nepal Telecom (NTC), the
total number of mobile phone users in Nepal reached 14,104,011 in
January 2011. Recent statistics from the Nepal Telecom Authority (NTA)
shows that 4.78 million mobile subscribers use Ncell whereas 4.71
million use NTC mobile services. The International Telecom Union (ITU)
estimates that more than 811,780 (2.8 percent) Nepalis use the Internet
(March 2011). Facebook and Twitter are already famous social networking
tools. The ITU estimates that 685,280 Nepalis use Facebook (December
2010), which is significantly less than the number 1,221,040 (4.22
percent of the total population), as reported by Socialbakers, one of
the biggest Facebook statistics portals in the world. Whatever the exact
number of users may be, Facebook now isn’t merely a popular tool for
communication in English but equally important for various social and
political campaigns. </span><br />
<span class="fltL news_details_text"><br />
<strong>Neoliberalism and commodification </strong><br />
Since its democratic journey began in 1990, Nepal has adopted a
neoliberal economic policy—an unregulated free market in which the
private sector and donor agencies have received a notable space in the
nation building process. Owing to the state's mantra of private-public
partnership, private investment has become a key source of the national
economy. <br />
Neoliberalism has not only legitimised the role of English as a global
language but also projected it as a 'commodity' to be sold especially in
education. It has paved the way for the opening of private schools
(English medium), many of which are exploiting parents by using English
as a key selling point. Generally, as private schools are primarily
opened with a business purpose first; they are concerned with earning
money in the guise of quality education. <br />
Many private schools are successful in propagating this ideology:
namely, learning English means receiving quality education. Innocent
parents uphold the view that children will get better job opportunities
if they are educated in private schools. The School Leaving Certificate
Examinations (SLC) results seem to support this ideology in that, every
year, the top ten students are mostly from <br />
private schools. For example, the SLC results (2010/2011), which were
published on 20 June, 2011, show enormous disparity between public and
private schools in terms of pass percentage, a 90 percent pass rate in
private schools and only 46 percent in public ones.<br />
But how many students who graduate from private English medium schools
get better jobs? Are they really competent for jobs available within the
country and beyond? Do better SLC results equal a better education?
These questions require further research and more discussion.<br />
Phyak is pursuing a doctorate at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He
is also Secretary of the Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association
(NELTA)</span></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-15274430634452445002012-05-07T18:33:00.004-07:002012-05-07T18:34:24.993-07:00Towards multilingual education<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
I am one of the panelists in this video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-rLgRauaas&feature=relmfu">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-rLgRauaas&feature=relmfu</a>. This program was Nepal Television's (NTV) telecast 'Samabeshi Bahas' (meaning Inclusive Advocay). I and my senior Professors from Central Department of Education, Tribhuvan University were invited as panelists for the program. I enjoyed the discussion though a bit hesitant as it was my first appearance on TV screen. We have discussed various issues of inclusive education. My focus was on how language issues are critical in education of minority groups especially of those whose first languages are rarely used in schools. Please watch the video and leave your comments. </div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-64959444797351742722011-12-24T06:26:00.000-08:002011-12-24T06:26:12.409-08:00Debunking a few myths<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div style="background: #F9F9F9; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">The government of Nepal has shown its commitment to ensure quality education for children from all the communities by 2015 as envisioned by Educational for All and the Millennium Development Goal programmes. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has also developed guidelines for implementing multilingual education (MLE) as an integral part of the Nepali education system. According to the plan, local mother tongues will be the medium of instruction for pre-primary education and for all subjects (except Nepali and English) up to Grade 3. Basic education in Grades 4 and 5 shall be bilingual (the mother tongue and a second language). The government aims to implement MLE in 7,500 schools by 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: #F9F9F9; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Famous scholars like Carol Benson, Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Pamela MacKenzie and Ajit Mohanty have argued that teaching in one’s mother tongue not only enhances the children’s overall educational attainment but also establishes a linkage between schools and the community. However, there are some major misconceptions that have to be removed for the sustainability of MLE.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: #F9F9F9; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Education in mother tongue is irrelevant<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="background: #F9F9F9; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">There is a strong belief among parents, children and policy makers that dominant languages like English and Nepali are the most important languages to access wider socio-economic opportunities at the national and international levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: #F9F9F9; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Indigenous people from the developing countries often believe that learning in the mother tongue has no any relevance for promoting quality education. There is also a belief that since children are already competent in their mother tongue before they go to school, there is no point in introducing it in school. This belief emerges from the ignorance and illiteracy of the indigenous people. They are not aware of and are not well informed about the fact that, in the early grades, learning in the mother tongue will help children learn better, creating a strong foundation for effective learning of other languages like English and Nepali.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Kids should be taught in the dominant languages</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">There is a view that children should be taught in the dominant language irrespective of their linguistic background. In different developing countries, the perceived value of English, for example, as the language that brings prosperity in one’s life is taken as granted. People from poor countries have a mindset that without teaching English from the early grades, their children will be unable to compete with other children. Of course, it is true that having knowledge of English is necessary as it is a global lingua franca. There is no doubt that command over English provides wider socio-economic opportunities. But it is not true that children can learn better English or any dominant language if they develop confidence in learning in general.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Introduction of English, for example, from the early grades does not guarantee children’s competence in English. Availability of competent teachers, materials and other sources has to be considered. The case of Ethiopia (one of the world’s poorest countries) shows that children learning in their mother tongue for the first eight years have performed better in all subjects including English than those who were not taught in their mother tongue. Similar findings have been reported from Orissa, India. This clearly indicates that learning in the mother tongue in the early grades not only promotes competence in the first language but also promotes better learning of other languages including English.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Multilingual education is anti-English</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">In educational discourse, we see that mother tongue-based education and English education are considered as enemies. Not only indigenous activists but also educationists have this kind of belief. Policy makers and educationists fear that use of the mother tongue may displace the use of English and vice versa. However, this is only a misconception.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Mother tongue-based education is not an anti-English education policy, rather it supports effective teaching and sustainable learning of English. It advocates teaching of English at the right time, by the right people and for the right purpose. MLE argues for enhancement of quality education through the mother tongue in the beginning with effective teaching of English and other languages after children develop a strong foundation in their first language. Likewise, right policies and effective implementation of English education helps to promote the world’s linguistic diversity.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Multilingual education is expensive</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">There is a belief that since MLE requires production of materials and teacher preparation in multiple languages, the state cannot afford the financial burden of implementing such a programme. Although sufficient funds are necessary to implement the programme, it is not impossible to find funds if there is strong political will. At the same time, it should be noted that we cannot compare the children’s educational attainment with money.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Minority Rights Group International reported in 2009 that the world’s 101 million children are still out of school, and that between 50 and 70 percent of them are from minority linguistic communities due to linguistic barriers. We see that even if states and donor agencies have spent huge amounts of money, there is no substantial progress in ensuring access and promoting the quality of basic education. The World Bank has reported that although mother tongue-based education programmes are costly in the initial phase, in the long run they are more cost-effective as they promote quality education.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">The value of the programme that helps to promote social cohesion, bring ethno-linguistic minority children into school, enhances quality education and increases community participation in schools is priceless and incomparable with the investment of money. In this regard, Tove Skutnabb-Kangas and others have argued that rather than asking whether states can afford mother tongue-based education programmes, we have to ask whether states can afford not to implement them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="background: #F9F9F9; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b><i>Published on 23 December, 2011, The Kathmandu Post</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
</div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-16123007961925008992011-11-18T19:17:00.000-08:002011-11-18T19:17:33.564-08:00Minding our languages<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Language is very sensitive which may create social disintegration if it is not used and planned properly. We all know that Parmanand Jha, the first vice-president of the Federal Republic of Nepal, took the oath of office in Hindi on July 23, 2008. The whole country came to a halt for more than a week due to protests against his action. Although the Supreme Court declared his oath in Hindi to be unconstitutional and ordered him to retake the oath in Nepali, he refused to do so. To resolve this issue, the Legislative Parliament passed the Seventh Amendment to the Interim Constitution on Jan 28, 2010. The amendment allows the president, vice-president, prime minister and other ministers to take the oath of office in their first language. On Feb 7, 2010, Vice-President Jha took a fresh oath in both Nepali and Maithili, his first language.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">Such issues emerge due to lack of a clear language policy. It is obvious that a society functions cohesively in a country where an inclusive multilingual policy is adopted. But conflicts and social disintegration of a different nature take place in a country like Nepal where the language policy is not inclusive. In a democratically just society, all linguistic communities expect their linguistic identity to be addressed and protected. In order to discuss how language issues can be settled for social cohesion, the Ninth Language and Development International Conference was organised in Colombo, Sri Lanka with the theme “Language and Social Cohesion” on Oct 17-19, 2011. As one of the paper presenters, I collected some major inputs that could be instrumental for language planning to build a cohesive Nepali society. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">The grand opening ceremony was conducted in three languages — Sinhala, Tamil and English — as per the government’s policy. As it was an international conference, all the government officials including Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressed the gathering in English. The president said that one of the reasons for the previous conflict in Sri Lanka was its discriminatory language policy (only Sinhala was recognised as the official language). There were two booths in the conference hall from where all the speeches were translated into Sinhala and Tamil that could be heard over a wireless headphone. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">Sri Lanka’s trilingual policy is clearly seen in the marketplaces, bus stations and the city. All the signboards and public notices are in three languages. Both Sinhala and Tamil are taught in the schools and universities. I learned at various informal discussions that Tamil-speaking children were doing well after the introduction of Tamil in school. It is also very interesting to learn that the Sri Lankan job market prefers trilingual candidates over monolingual ones. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">Sri Lanka’s language policy provides some significant issues to formulate an inclusive language policy in Nepal. First, it is clear that Nepal has to prepare a comprehensive language policy. Second, the country has to get rid of the “one language, one nation” attitude. Such narrow nationalism defined only in terms of the Nepali language undermines the indigenous identity of Nepal as a multilingual country. As Tamils agitated against Sri Lanka’s discriminatory one-language policy, different indigenous linguistic communities in Nepal have been demanding their linguistic rights for about two and half centuries. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">Although the country seemed to be unified with its one-language policy, people from various linguistic communities have been discriminated against. Due to lack of proficiency in the Nepali language, people from indigenous communities could not access wider socio-economic opportunities. Their children could not perform well in school as only Nepali was used as the medium of instruction. This clearly indicates that there is a need to formulate a feasible language-in-education policy which creates a cohesive atmosphere among the children’s home languages and the medium of instruction in school. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">Another important implication is that the country has to be cautious while developing language planning policies in its federal structure. As in Sri Lanka, the federal states can choose at least one local language (based on the number of speakers) to be used along with Nepali as another official and link language. In the case of other minority languages, the federal states can devise a policy to introduce them in education and other domains. Considering English as an important international language, its role has to be clearly defined. Although it is not easy to devise a multilingual language policy, it is not impossible if there is strong political will. For this, the country has to ensure the participation of linguistic groups in the process of language policy making. The top-down approach of language planning (planning based on the ideas of only the elite) may not really address linguistic complexities. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">We not only have more than 140 languages but also a treasure trove of knowledge constructed through them. All the languages have to be preserved. For this, the country has to make a long-term plan. One of the important lessons we can learn from Sri Lanka in this regard is the establishment of a separate ministry for the development of national languages. Sri Lanka has the Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration which is fully responsible for the promotion of national languages and fostering social cohesion. There is an urgent need for such a ministry in Nepal. By promoting the national languages, the country will be preserving a vast store of knowledge in literature, culture, ecology, history, education, society, conflict resolution, religion and so on. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2011/11/14/oped/minding-our-languages/228221.html">http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2011/11/14/oped/minding-our-languages/228221.html</a></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-69682743803501336012011-08-26T01:03:00.001-07:002011-11-13T05:31:03.952-08:00On sale<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">Do you want to purchase goats for this Dashain?</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What size do you need? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Expensive or cheaper? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Local or imported? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Don’t worry <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">A perfect goat shop has been opened <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">At the heart of the city <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Buy two and get one free</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thousands of hunters and fellow goats <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Brilliant juvenile <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enduring aged <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sacrificed to assemble six hundred one <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Caste, ethnicity, gender, age and ecology represented <o:p></o:p></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Quality guaranteed </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Height, weight and color mixed <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some b</span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">leat </span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Others sleep <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Very few frail <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">My goats are on sale</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">I fed them for three years</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unruly and petulant always <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now I’m too tired to bear <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 103.3pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve no optimism and endurance <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 103.3pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">My goats and myself are on sale, hence <o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-40206722603710705482011-08-22T05:52:00.000-07:002011-08-22T05:53:57.190-07:00Hospital<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hard-working doctors</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Obedient nurses <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Silent atmosphere <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Patient patients <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Incredible relief</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Timely care</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Attentive attendant <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;">Luminous</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;"> pain </span></span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-61500168589163406962011-07-27T20:44:00.000-07:002011-07-27T20:44:22.049-07:00Education business<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Last month my relative’s came Kathmandu for his higher education after passing the School Leaving Certificate Examination (SLC) with distinction marks. He came to me and asked for help to find out right higher secondary school (often known as college) for him. I was puzzled where to send him as I could see that there are colleges every nook of my residence, New Baneshwar. Although I have not counted the number of colleges, I can see that new Baneshwar chowk is already covered with colorful and big flex boards projecting the advertisements of various colleges. There is no any place left to put even a single more board. With my puzzlement, I suggested him that he had to visit as many colleges as possible and choose one which he liked. With his excitement he visited some colleges but he was not able to decide which college he had to choose. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">He had collected attractive brochures of many colleges. Some colleges have offered him scholarships, free hostel and transportation as well. He also said that in some colleges he was welcomed by beautiful girls with garland and offered him breakfast. But his excitement declined when he didn’t see infrastructures printed in the brochure in the college. Neither there was that attractive building nor the basketball court. Classrooms were under a tinned-roofed cottage. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although they said that the seats were available only for limited number of students, there were no any students enrolled. This is only an example of how private colleges in Kathmandu are operated with mere business purpose rather than for academic excellence. I am not saying that all private colleges are like the one as mentioned here but it is true that the operation of private colleges has become no more than the operation of a bank in which some filthy rich people invest to become even richer exploiting poor and innocent people like my relative’s son. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is interesting to see that majority of private colleges have put various renowned professors’ name in their brochures and TV advertisements to attract more students. As they see the names of professors and Drs, students believe in the academic quality of the colleges. However, it is not transparent that whether those professors really take classes in those colleges. What are their roles and responsibilities? This is not clear. In many cases, students do not see those professors’ face during their study in the college. I have also seen that distinguished public figures from different sectors have been used as ambassador of various private colleges in Kathmandu. My humble request to all distinguished personalities is: Could you please ensure the quality of education that the institute you are involved with? Could you please make it accessible to even poor but deserving candidates? Could you please not promote unhealthy competition in education by stopping propaganda strategies in the advertisement of colleges? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">An issue emerged with the mushrooming of the private colleges is the commercialization of education. It has already indicated that education institutes are being established only for the purpose of earning money rather than helping to fulfill the mission of the providing quality education to the students. We could see that there is no any strict rule and comprehensive mechanism for monitoring overall operation of private colleges. It is ridiculous to see that the founders of colleges rent a building and start a college after getting permission from Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB). And they charge expensive fees to the students to cover rent and expenses for other infrastructure. It is also bizarre to see that HSEB is giving affiliation to a large number of private colleges every year without any comprehensive feasibility study of infrastructure. Another interesting issue is that HSEB does not have any scientific criteria regarding the distance between colleges. We can see that there are more than four colleges within the same locality in the Kathmandu Valley. At the same time, due to lack of supervision from HSEB, private colleges are also exploiting students by putting them into a cramped classroom and by not providing them with basic facilities e.g. library, playground, drinking water, laboratory and so on. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are so many disadvantages of providing affiliation to a large number of private colleges especially in the Kathmandu valley haphazardly. On the one hand, there is unhealthy competition among colleges and on the other hand, education will be simply an ‘object-for-sale’. We have already seen that different private institutes are split due to dispute among the founders and they have opened their own private colleges after getting affiliation from HSEB easily. They have left no stone unturned to attract students in their colleges. In order to stop such a commercialization of education and to promote quality and sustainable education institutes, HSEB should stop providing affiliation to private colleges to run 10+2 classes especially in those where there are too many colleges already. We could see heavy traffic jams due to a large number of students during office hour in Baneshwar, Kumaripati, Lagankhel, Tinkune, Chabahil and other areas in Kathmandu. Instead, HSEB can provide its affiliation in rural areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">HSEB should also make a policy which gives students equal opportunity to get admission in private colleges. It is not fair to bar students, who secure low marks from government schools and rural areas, from getting admission in any college in Kathmandu. But as this trend is prevalent now, two kinds of private colleges are in existence – colleges where students from rich family and urban areas with distinction mark study and the colleges where students from poor family with poor marks study. This distinction has already created a clear social division in the society. If this situation persists for longer period higher secondary education will be no other than divider in the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>society and business for the filthy rich people. </div></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-10247958781553874512011-04-28T21:34:00.001-07:002011-04-28T21:34:45.350-07:00I am Maailee<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I am <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maailee, </i>an outsider.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have no home, no<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>family..<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I wear ragged clothes and beg for my food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My destiny ends nowhere.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I remember those days when I was a servant </div><div class="MsoNormal">And the day my landlord decided not to keep me.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I had no single rupee. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Losing my hopes and dreams, </div><div class="MsoNormal">I sheltered at a temple, </div><div class="MsoNormal">Covering my body with newspaper.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I slept on the pavement.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Contemplating the endless miseries of life</div><div class="MsoNormal">I made an innocent attempt to end it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, the statues are my only relatives. </div><div class="MsoNormal">They help to gather food for me. </div><div class="MsoNormal">They collect people around me</div><div class="MsoNormal">Who give me something out of pity -</div><div class="MsoNormal">And call me Maailee. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-35218955138072314482011-04-19T07:20:00.001-07:002011-04-19T07:20:32.862-07:00A night at the Aryaghat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It was 18 April 2011. The weather in Kathmandu was pleasant due to occasional rain. I was queuing at a petrol pump for 4 hours to fuel my motorbike. My cell phone rang around 1 pm. My friend, Tanka said, ‘the dead body of Jhalak dai is coming tonight from Qatar’. First I could not believe what Tanka was saying. ‘What’re you saying?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said, ‘Yes, Jhalak dai passed away one and half month ago in Qatar’. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I had never known that Jhalak dai had been to Qatar. I had known him as a hard working, sincere and cooperative handsome uncle in the community. I still remember his charming white face and activism in sports in the school where both of us studied. I had not seen him for seven years. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Tanks told me that Jhalak dai’s body was being brought at the Tribhuvan International Airport Kathmandu at 10.30 pm. From my residence, New Baneshwar, I drove my motorbike to the airport where I met Jhalak dai’s brothers (including TB Sir, my teacher), Kaki (his wife), son, sisters, daughter, and many other relatives. All were in a sad mood and waiting for his body. Kaki was speechless and her eyes red with full of tear. I could easily guess that she could not even think what was happening around her. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I thought that I should speak with her. But I could not even produce a word. I had no idea about what to say. I could not decide whether I should ask her about Jhalak dai. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There was a huge crowd of people waiting for their relatives coming from different gulf countries. There were four international flights landing within the interval of 15 minutes. Taxiwalas and hotelwalas were eagerly waiting for tourists with placard. It was ten 10.30 pm. The screen in the waiting room at the arrival terminal indicated that the Qatar Airways just landed. We started moving. After waiting for half an hour, a thin man on leather jacket came out the terminal and asked whether there were relatives of Jhalak dai. In a second, we surrounded him. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">‘My name is Aftab Miya. I am Jhalak’s friend’, he introduced. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">He also asked whether Jhalak’s brother and wife were present there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After talking to us for a second, he kept a file out of his small bag and gave to Jhalak’s brother, TB sir. We rushed to the reporting office. The officer there had already prepared necessary documents. He went through all the documents related to Jhalak dai that Aftab had brought from Qatar. I saw that there were a letter of the Embassy of Nepal at Qatar, a postmortem report and a letter from the company where Jhalak dai worked for two years. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was very curious to know about Jhalak dai’s death. Aftab was not sure about how Jhalak dai died. But he said that the company where he worked with Jhalak dai was not a good company. They were not paid salary regularly even if it was very low. They didn’t get any kinds of facilities as it was agreed with the manpower company. ‘The company owner was so bad man that he never gave leave to them’, Aftab said. He became so emotional when he started talking about Jhalak dai. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“He was so sincere, hardworking and cooperative’, he praised him.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘The company was reluctant to send Jhalak’s body to Nepal. He was such a bad man’, Aftab continued. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">‘We stopped working for some days in the company to force him to send Jhalak’s body to his relative in Nepal’. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It was already 11.45 when we finished paper works to receive Jhalak dai’s body. We had to get custom clearance as well. After looking at the postmortem report, the officer at the custom counter said, ‘Oh again, heart attack?’ ‘Workers do not receive insurance if they die of heart attack’, he added. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">‘Oh my god! Jhalak dai’s family is not getting anything. How’ll Kaki, who doesn’t have any job, manage the expenditure of her children’s education?’ I asked myself. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The dream of Jhalak dai and his children to live happily after his return to the village with enough money was shattered with his death at his early 40s. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A policeman at the Airport said, ‘the number of dead body coming from gulf countries is increasing everyday’. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">After checking all records, the custom officer took us to a cargo room where I saw a long red wooden box wrapped with white plastic. My body was trembling and eyes were full of tear. I was hurried to see Jhalak dai’s face. It was already midnight when we brought the coffin outside the terminal. Kaki, his children and other relatives started crying at the airport. Putting the coffin in a van, we rushed to Aryaghat, Pashupati where many people had come to attend funeral of Jhalak dai. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We opened the coffin with the help of a big sickle. There was another tinned box within the wooden box. The body was wrapped with a plastic bag and woolen clothe. I broke with tear when I saw his frozen body which was so hard and full of ice. We paid last tribute by putting flowers on his body. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Kaki could not hold herself. She was crying breathlessly. I felt as if the entire world was listening to her sympathetically. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">How restlessly she must be waiting for Jhalak dai’s presence in her life? I thought when Jhalak dai’s body was burning in the fire at the Aryaghat. It was already 4.30am when his entire body changed into ash. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 103.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-71293216990572909232011-04-06T20:35:00.002-07:002012-03-03T17:02:30.177-08:00I regret for being educated<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><i>I understand that while raising such questions educated people (like me) may think that my views are cynical. However, I think time has come to self-assess our own role, as a so-called educated person, in the society. </i><br />
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Quite recently, I am collecting news reports on anti-humanity, corruption, violence, conflict and war from various national newspapers for my own research purpose. As it is not possible to bring all of them here, I will try to cover them under major themes. Let me start with a killing of a college girl. In June 2009, Khyati Shrestha was killed by her own teacher Biren Shrestha. He amputated the body, kept in the refrigerator for some days and threw different parts in different places. He demanded ransom even after killing Khyati with the help of his another student. You can read the detail news here <a href="http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Life+term+for+Khyati+Shrestha+killers+&NewsID=266298">http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Life+term+for+Khyati+Shrestha+killers+&NewsID=266298</a> and watch the video in this site <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sTegs1rn0k">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sTegs1rn0k</a>. Similar kind of crime was committed by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Armed Policy Force last moth (January,22, 2012). The DIG killed his wife, took away her dead body in his own car and burned it (You can read the news details at this link <a href="http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=41099">http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=41099</a>). Brawls among students supporting different political parties are usual practice in campuses (please watch this video <a href="http://www.mastinepal.com/thread54043.html">http://www.mastinepal.com/thread54043.html</a>). The involvement of political leaders in the abuse of the authority of various natures always dominate the pages and screens of media. The abuse of red passport is only one example. <a href="http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2011/may/may08/news09.php">http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2011/may/may08/news09.php</a><br />
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If we critically analyze above news we find the involvement of literate/educated people in these crimes. This situation raises some questions: Why are educated people more hostile, dishonest, impatient, inhumane and egotistic? Are they contributing to social development and harmony or creating mistrust and violence? I understand while raising such questions all educated people (like me) may think that my views are cynical. However, I think time has come to self-assess our own role, being so-called educated people, in the society . Is our education system able to prepare students to work for the prosperity of human civilization? Are our schools and universities able to produce students who can do something independently and sincerely for humanity and democracy? These are some representative questions that emerge from the sample news reports mentioned above.<br />
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At this moment, I remember what my late <b>grandfather </b>reminded my father when he decided to send me to school. He said that children should not be sent to school because they become dishonest and lazy. He confidently reiterated that children learn how to cheat others, become immoral and leave their parents and society when they are educated. Before 26 years, I thought that my grandfather had very traditional and illogical judgment about the value of education. I thought he was so prejudiced orthodox Limbu old man who never liked to send their grandchildren to school. <br />
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But after reading and watching representative news reports as mentioned above for two years above, I now realize that my grandfather’s words were full of wit and wisdom. His views exactly echo what H. L. Mencken, a famous American columnist and essayist says, ‘the main thing children learn in school is how to lie’. His views reflect what Everett W. Reimer, says in his book School is Dead (1971): ‘parents and grandparents have never known schools as places they expected their children to attend. They do know, however, what schools imply. Going to school means leaving the traditional life, moving to a different place, laying aside physical burdens for the work of the tongue and the mind…’. (The book is available online at <a href="http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/dead.pdf">http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/dead.pdf</a>)<br />
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While analyzing my grandfather’s opinions in relation to the involvement of educated people in various heinous activities, I find that, we, educated people are more cruel, hostile and uncooperative than the uneducated ones. With due respect to all those who have been doing magnificent works for the society, most educated people (including myself) seem to be more selfish, unsympathetic, and unsocial than the uneducated ones. We, educated people, who live mostly in urban areas with romantic charisma of globalization and pop culture, can never become a neighbor with the people living next door or room or house. Of course, these are all due to our orthodox hierarchical education system in which we are indirectly teaching our learners to be dishonest, lazier, hostile, egoistic and unsocial indirectly. <br />
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A famous educationist Ivan Illich wrote a ground-breaking book Deschooling Society (1971) in which he strongly argues that ‘by the time children go to school, they have learned how to use their bodies, how to use language and how to control their emotions. They have learned to depend upon themselves and have been rewarded for initiative in learning. In school these values are reversed’. (For details, <a href="http://www.davidtinapple.com/illich/1970_deschooling.html">http://www.davidtinapple.com/illich/1970_deschooling.html</a>). Critiquing on the commodification of knowledge in institutionalized education system, Illich asserts that for schools ‘knowledge is a valuable commodity which under certain circumstances may be forced into the consumer [learners]. Schools are addicted to the notion that it is possible to manipulate other people for their own good’. Illich’s assessment resonates both how I was taught and I, as a teacher, am teaching now. Rather than giving chances to exercise learners’ natural potentialities and creativity, I often force my students to follow what I think is right. They cannot ask any question and share their views constructed in their rich socio-cultural contexts. I never count them as an agency and rich source of capital. By doing this, I am killing students’ ability to self-initiate and take ownerships of their own learning. Moreover, I am simply transferring prefabricated chunks of knowledge as specified in the curriculum which may not really address my learners’ needs who come from different cultura and linguistic backgrounds. I am making my students dependent, lazier, and a consumer.<br />
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Our classroom practices are instrumental for producing uncooperative and hostile learners. We create neither collaborative learning atmosphere nor try to generate diverse ideas (considering learners themselves as an abundant source of learning) so that learners can negotiate their own world views. We hardly give students chances to work and interact with friends and teachers. On contrary to this, illiterate or uneducated people in villages seem to be so cooperative. We feel the warmth of love and respect among the uneducated and rural people.<br />
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Although we aim to develop democracy and inclusion in society through education, our classroom practices are dominated by undemocratic and exclusionary deeds. We never bother engaging our students to set their own agendas and find their own learning style. We aim to build a peaceful world through education. But we, directly and indirectly, are terrorizing children in school both mentally by giving excessive rote learning practices and homework without considering their cognitive level. We always tend to impose what we know. Ivan Illich contends that "The claim that a liberal society can be founded on the modern school is paradoxical. The safeguards of individual freedom are all cancelled in the dealings of a teacher with his pupil".<br />
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We have already isolated children from their society while teaching such contents which are not related to their life. Being a so-called educated man, I regret for not being able to meet my own granny and parents for three years. Sometimes, I feel bad about myself for being a so-educated man. Why is this modern education system too much urban oriented? Why do educated people not like to go back to their society? I should have returned my village if the education I received had focused on the importance of rural life, language, culture and indigenous knowledge. Unfortunately, through the present education system we are increasing children’s ambitions that can never be achieved. Isn’t it a good example of hypocrisy in education?<br />
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Margaret Mead, a famous anthropologist, once said, “My grandmother wanted me to have an education, so she kept me out of school.” This leaves a great implication that schools may not provide education in real sense. We need to assess how they are helping children to become independent, social, respectful, patient, adaptive and democratic. </div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-81894252530835148622011-03-23T06:20:00.000-07:002011-03-23T22:17:44.438-07:00Teaching English in Multicultural and Multilingual contexts: Challenges or opportunities?<i>(This article was published in the NeltaChoutari March Issue. For comments on the article please click this link http://neltachoutari.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/teaching-english-in-multicultural-contexts-more-challenges-and-even-more-opportunities/)<i></i></i><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #453320; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">English is no longer the language of only so-called native speakers of English (e.g. Americans, British, Australians, and so on) because the number of native speakers is already outnumbered by non-native speakers of English. It has already become a global language which is not only a means of disseminating new knowledge in any field throughout the world but also a means for intercultural communication. English has already become an inevitable part of the education in Nepal though there are many challenges to make its teaching more effective. Those challenges include techniques of teaching to macro-level educational language planning in Nepal. One of the major challenges is how teaching of English can be made appropriate in the multilingual and multicultural context of Nepal. Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA) organized its 16<sup style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">th</sup> international conference in Kathmandu (18-20 February) and Pokhara (22-23 February) where more than 500 and 400 participants in the former and the latter respectively discussed challenges and opportunities of teaching English in multilingual and cross-cultural context of Nepal. There were more than 200 papers and plenary speeches of different scholars, researchers and English teachers from home and abroad. Professor Adrian Holliday from Canterbury Christ Church University, UK and Professor Emeritus John F. Fanselow, Columbia University, USA delivered key speeches on the theme of the conference ‘English in multilingual and cross-cultural contexts: exploring opportunities and meeting challenges’.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Despite the fact that indigenous languages are on the verge of extinction, there is a craze of learning English among students and parents also aspire to educate their children in English medium schools. This aspiration has been already reflected in the educational language policy of the Ministry of Education (MoE) to introduce English from Grade One in community schools. In the same way, the MoE has already given the authority to management committees of the community managed public schools to shift themselves from Nepali to English medium of instruction. The number of schools switching to English medium is increasing every year. On the other hand, English is both subject and medium of instruction from pre-primary level in private schools. However, there are many challenges to teach English to students who come from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds. One of the challenges is that whether or not students get chance to utilize their own cultural and linguistic knowledge in schools while learning English. Some questions pertinent to the theme of the conference were: how our socio-cultural background can shape teaching and learning of English? How can we teach English while addressing linguistic and cultural diversity of Nepal? How can we foster critical and creative thinking skills? There were discussions on how learners’ prior linguistic and cultural knowledge helps in learning English. The papers presented in the conference provided a great implication that students’ cultural knowledge can be a resource for teaching and learning English.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Professor Holliday argued that the English language can foster intercultural communication among the children from diverse cultural as well as linguistic backgrounds. Focusing on the importance of children’s prior knowledge, he reiterated that teachers of English should capitalize multicultural experiences that children bring into the classroom while teaching English. He also put a significant point that teaching of English should be contextual and we need to educate children about the nature of English in relation to society. This clearly indicates that to address the expectations and experiences of children from diverse cultural backgrounds, teachers’ role as a passive-technician is not enough rather they have to be a transformative intellectual. Teachers should understand that classroom is socially constructed and historically situated and they should create such an environment where students from various backgrounds can get opportunities to utilise their prior knowledge. In general, English teachers are not simply in-charges of classroom but also agents for social change. They can also contribute to foster democracy and critical thinking skill by creative inclusive learning environment where students can exercise their values, assumptions and identities shaped by local, national and global socio-cultural settings and expectations. In the same line, Professor John F. Fanselow, another key speaker in the conference, focused on how students can be taught creatively so that they get more opportunities to use English. Breaking rules of traditional teaching, he discussed that teachers have to arouse curiosity of students to resolve various puzzles themselves rather than showing their fault while they make mistakes. Emphasising the importance of thinking process, he stated that students should be given enough time to think while teaching English. He also presented the idea of recording and transcribing learners’ classroom language which can be an abundant source for teaching English. This clearly indicates that we need to rethink the way we are teaching English in Nepal. Some crucial questions that may help us to further our debates are: How often do we give students chance to think critically? Are we aware of their socio-cultural backgrounds? Have we tried doing something new or beating the same old drum? Professor Fanslow’s presentations were all about deconstructing the old rules of teaching English and reconstructing alternative ones to engage students in doing things.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Professor Abhi Subedi, critically assessed the consequences of detaching teaching English from cross-cultural context in Nepal. Analyzing the socio-political and historical discourses, he strongly condemned that our practices of teaching English have not been able to address socio-cultural realties. He argued that ‘methods [of teaching] … failed to suture the diverse experiences of English teachers in this country’ and is critical about teachers’ resistance towards change. He showed his concern about the fact that teaching and learning of English has been confined within the classroom. This clearly indicates that there is a huge gap between socio-cultural reality and teaching of English in Nepal. He appealed that we can design syllabuses and can develop viable methods of teaching by considering our own multilingual and multicultural realities. He also mentioned that now there is no point in following British or American Standard English to teach English in Nepal. In the same way, focusing on the importance of English, Professor Jai Raj Awasthi presented that three language policy (mother tongue, Nepali and English) can be a pragmatic policy for placing English in multilingual and multicultural context of Nepal.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The reflection of the only mega event of its kind in Nepal points out some crucial issues regarding teaching of English. First, there is an urgent need of taking the ownership of English rather than considering it as a ‘foreign’ language (in literal sense, not in pedagogical and political sense). Since there is a craze of learning English even in rural areas of the country, we have to closely observe how English is being produced (Spoken and Written) to indentify our own variety of English. Second, we have to work hard on designing syllabuses, writing textbooks and producing learning materials which address expectations of Nepalese children from multilingual and multicultural backgrounds. Third, we have to explore more opportunities and should try developing alternative ways of teaching to foster students’ creative and critical thinking skills. Overall, we have to deconstruct the tradition that confines English in the classroom, break the rules that make students produce only minimal language (formulaic speech), smash the hierarchy between teachers and students to foster two-way communication, demolish monolithic and mono-cultural world view to advance intercultural communication and forget prescriptions of any method to instill critical thinking skills for independent learning in students.</div></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-35658930796734000732011-03-10T05:22:00.000-08:002011-03-10T08:23:49.392-08:00A famous story writer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>By Prem Phyak</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Rabindra was ten when he went to Kathmandu. He was surprised to see so many cars, buses, and motorbikes. He had never seen such crowds of people in the street. Street lights and supermarkets were amazing for him. Because he was a village boy, he was frightened to walk in the street alone because of the heavy traffic.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrGwidHfbvvIUTQIDjsNhDV3h5C95y7EsqKaLgSOc_l2y2XFBBvNvPcQfxnlitvhksDttPD-COnLOGrSJLEV2Foc_6g7Becazw5owMTsoTVtjpL47Oxb-rcFg0wldjfLKSZ_fuYA4UHLV/s1600/Picture3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrGwidHfbvvIUTQIDjsNhDV3h5C95y7EsqKaLgSOc_l2y2XFBBvNvPcQfxnlitvhksDttPD-COnLOGrSJLEV2Foc_6g7Becazw5owMTsoTVtjpL47Oxb-rcFg0wldjfLKSZ_fuYA4UHLV/s200/Picture3.gif" width="200" /></a></div><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Rabindra, his parents and two sisters had no money for home so they made a small shelter of bamboo and old rice sacks under the bridge of the Bagmati River. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDMQr9H4Iqd70ZjT6Y3eK9W8wrudNxzhF3jtd60xCGX9W5AqHaGRHa1C4Zi4CYxnr7HpmJDN4sb9LrP-LRIj-pvxcdQXgtHhohk-kPOC9WnB5K6hnO-qtO6phflpic_pIhhug-zXAC9Eu/s1600/Picture2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDMQr9H4Iqd70ZjT6Y3eK9W8wrudNxzhF3jtd60xCGX9W5AqHaGRHa1C4Zi4CYxnr7HpmJDN4sb9LrP-LRIj-pvxcdQXgtHhohk-kPOC9WnB5K6hnO-qtO6phflpic_pIhhug-zXAC9Eu/s400/Picture2.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">It was a hard time for Rabindra’s family in Kathmandu. They had nobody to help them. Rabindra’s father started collecting used bottles, metals, plastics and papers. He visited different places from the morning to the evening. He sold what he found to the recyclers. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Before he went to Kathmandu, Rabindra was studying at Grade 3 in the village. He was very good in his study. But he couldn’t continue his study in Kathmandu. He had to help his father to collect plastics from the dumping site which was nearby their shelter. Sometimes he also took his two sisters. They were so happy when they found something to eat from the garbage. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-4zejzkXyXh5o8Q3Mh9QUUH5j1w4AijnxIvMZOL9xuiLRm7ZshZMLkAzYjMm7c2fcjdA6cQkQEs3VNZbh2B_Kb80bx8Malvb_3gUwiWfjfahgcrvz_DSXeNQtZ9GGsmGpAeWPMb1iVrT/s1600/Picture2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-4zejzkXyXh5o8Q3Mh9QUUH5j1w4AijnxIvMZOL9xuiLRm7ZshZMLkAzYjMm7c2fcjdA6cQkQEs3VNZbh2B_Kb80bx8Malvb_3gUwiWfjfahgcrvz_DSXeNQtZ9GGsmGpAeWPMb1iVrT/s400/Picture2.gif" width="400" /></a></div><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Rabindra loved the old books he had found in the dumping site. He had kept them so safely. He read stories for his parents and sisters from the books every night. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">One misty cold morning, he was raking through the piles of rubbish when he saw a book underneath a dirty black plastic bag. He pulled the bag off and cleaned its cover with his sleeve. There was a beautiful green colour book. The title of the book was ‘A Poor Boy’. He wondered if it was about a boy like him. He looked at the first page of the book. It was written: BE HONEST, WORK HARD, YOUR FUTURE IS BRIGHT. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">He read some pages of the book in the dumping site. He knew that the story in the book was similar to his own story. He told the story to his parents and sister at night. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">One sunny Saturday morning, Rabindra found an old small leather bag. He picked up and opened it. There were some pieces of gold, some money and important papers. He rushed to the shelter with the bag. He told his father about the bag.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">They opened the bag again. They found the name and phone number of the owner of the bag. They went to the nearest police office and asked them to telephone the owner of the bag. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">After a while, an old man arrived in his car at the police office. He saw Rabindra and his father holding the bag. He was so happy to see his bag. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">The old man took his bag. He wanted to take Rabindra and his father back to their home in his car. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">The gentleman requested them again. He took them in his car to their shelter. The gentleman was so shocked when he saw the poor condition of where they lived and worked. He was impressed by the honesty of the family. He wanted to help them. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">The old man wanted to take all the family to his own house. Rabindra’s father didn’t agree because it might be difficult to continue collecting for recycling. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Finally, Rabindra’s father agreed with the old man’s request to help Rabindra in his study. Rabindra joined school at Grade 4. He started writing stories about his own family. He read all the story books he had collected from the dumping site. He finished his higher education with very good grade.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Rabindra and his family left their village to go to Kathmandu. They left their village because they didn’t have their own land, home and they were very poor. Rabindra was very sad to leave to school. He loved reading and particularly he loved reading books and stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Now he is a famous story writer. His books are all about poor people and their children. He has earned enough money to buy a small house and feed his family.</span></div></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-73573861054015673852011-03-09T08:07:00.000-08:002013-02-03T21:37:09.864-08:00From Far West<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pictures speak themselves. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjm5_t5njhUeNEl_M-QggBajMxIlIZSGNMQinMvnYVzJHqzW81cHgsESOMuC0JaU20i01IAv3EnKn4stzCFd4ihyphenhyphen77Ilv2CwrHHeN3Osnneu3uS98h8y3Ebi7limmo_LBkFx0kThAQPzCx/s1600/34044_1497778131491_1445263785_31278271_6416537_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjm5_t5njhUeNEl_M-QggBajMxIlIZSGNMQinMvnYVzJHqzW81cHgsESOMuC0JaU20i01IAv3EnKn4stzCFd4ihyphenhyphen77Ilv2CwrHHeN3Osnneu3uS98h8y3Ebi7limmo_LBkFx0kThAQPzCx/s400/34044_1497778131491_1445263785_31278271_6416537_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(This is the longest and the most beautiful bridge over the Mahakali </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">River between Nepal and India. Unfortunately, the river is dry because </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">India has taken water of the river by constructing a big damp. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4CHLsVqPcXt3VuI3ll8kuPqIooQF7-AvMItI0no4Dp1xCwvrqWEO6aPmLNhuswaR5-STNct4gQ1xi6R7KI51Hmoz6gxlVXlk424JJ6xiP3PqXGppG47Q6T-QtCEe0cNt_vyp_zH2SD8l/s1600/26671_1497919615028_1445263785_31278571_1940666_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4CHLsVqPcXt3VuI3ll8kuPqIooQF7-AvMItI0no4Dp1xCwvrqWEO6aPmLNhuswaR5-STNct4gQ1xi6R7KI51Hmoz6gxlVXlk424JJ6xiP3PqXGppG47Q6T-QtCEe0cNt_vyp_zH2SD8l/s400/26671_1497919615028_1445263785_31278571_1940666_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is the Dash Gaja place (No man's land). I and my guru, Vishnu Rai </div><div style="text-align: center;">pointing at the pillar on the boarder.) </div></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-44811457231367318492011-03-06T19:44:00.002-08:002011-03-06T19:44:58.396-08:00Dying mother tongues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Local languages are being displaced from schools, both public and private. In private schools, English is not only the medium of instruction (MOI) and a subject in the curriculum, but also the language of communication. No matter the language policy devised by the government, it is only applicable for public schools. And currently, not a single private school features a local language as the MOI. Moreover, private schools attract students by overemphasising the English medium, for which many parents pay huge sums of money.<br />
<br />
One parent, a taxi driver, from Kathmandu recently told me, “I am sending my son to a private school because they teach English and give a lot of homework. With most of his friends in private schools, my son doesn’t want to go to a public school. Since he started, his English has significantly improved.” The motivations parents have for sending children to private schools seem never-ending and often trump the difficulties many families face in paying high fees for private schools. “It is difficult to afford private school, but in this modern age our children need to know English to get good jobs. And if I send my son to a public school, he thinks that he is from a lower class family…all rich people send their children to private schools. Besides, although I am Tamang, my children speak very little of the language and don’t like to use it.” It appears that private schools are selling English and projecting it as a key to material attainment by focusing on its commodity value. In this regard, sociologist Martha Caddell says, “English-medium instruction emerged as a key dimension of the selling of dreams that characterise these aspirations. Use of English—even of a very poor level—is considered to connect students to a wider international project, offering a greater potential for mobility than Nepali-medium government schools.”<br />
<br />
There are two different educational language policies—one for private schools and one for public schools. This phenomenon has created a clear line between the haves and have-nots—a phenomenon similar to what educationist RA Giri argues as the “unspoken privileging of the English language has created a further division in an already divided Nepali society”. The social identity of the children who go to private schools seems to be richer and more civilised while those who go to public schools are considered to be poor and uncivilised. Given this division, parents are discouraged from sending their children to public schools where English is not as central as in private schools.<br />
<br />
Another policy that contributes to the displacement of local languages in primary schools has been the voluntary transfer of public school management to local communities. The handover of management responsibilities to the community per the Seventh Amendment to the Education Act of 2001 envisioned enhanced participation of the local community, improved quality of education, and increased efficiency and accountability in schools. In 2003, the World Bank funded the government’s Community School Support Project (CSSP) to support community-managed schools. According to the Department of Education (DoE), more than 8,000 public schools have already been handed over to communities where School Management Committees (SMC) have taken sole responsibility for their management—including the hiring of teachers, the selection of the MOI, and the generation and allocation of funds for overall school development. The policy also aims to address the deteriorating quality of education in public schools. To this end, there has been a shift from Nepali or local languages to an English MOI in community-managed schools.<br />
<br />
Regarding the switch, a head teacher at one community-managed school in Kathmandu said, “We had to switch to compete with private schools. Parents want their children to be taught in English, so without doing this, parents will send their children to private schools instead. Without English as the MOI, we are not able to increase the number of students, which limits the quota of teachers we receive from the government.”<br />
<br />
Upon asking him asked him why the children, a majority of which are Newars, are not taught in Newari, he responded, “If we teach in the Newari language, Newari guardians will send their children to private English-medium schools instead of ours. The number of Newari students increased after we introduced English from grade one.” This view indicates that the government’s unwillingness to issue a uniform language policy for both private and public schools is forcing community-managed schools to introduce an English MOI to compete with private schools.<br />
<br />
Why do community-managed schools introduce an English MOI? One obvious reason is that they want to increase the number of students so they receive more teachers from the government. If the number of students is low, fewer teachers are allotted for the school, both to teach classes as well as handle administrative work. The more students enrolled, the more teachers a school is entitled to. Because of this, community-managed schools are compelled to use an English medium, displacing local languages (even Nepali), to increase the number of<br />
students.<br />
<br />
The government’s policy meant to encourage teaching in mother tongues in primary schools seems to be nothing more than rhetoric. The overall general educational policies of the government contradict its claims to be promoting local languages in schools. The dominance of over poor, marginalised and tribal groups has been legitimatised through the introduction of English MOI from the early grades in community-managed schools and private schools. There is a need for a more concrete national language policy to address not only the country’s multilingual realities, but also the strong aspirations of parents and children to learn English over their mother tongues. </span></div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-41231745834741474222011-01-15T04:22:00.000-08:002011-03-19T06:01:57.945-07:00Towards Local Literacy: Globalization and Nepalese ELT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>(</b><i>This article was published in the NeltaChoutari, January, 2011 Issue. There are wonderful comments from readers followed by my responses. Please click this link <a href="http://neltachoutari.wordpress.com/2011/01/01/towards-local-literacy-for-nepalese-elt/#comments">http://neltachoutari.wordpress.com/2011/01/01/towards-local-literacy-for-nepalese-elt/#comments</a> to read discussion on this article)</i><br />
<b>Introduction</b><br />
Anything that is ‘local’ is generally better in terms of quality and permanence. Let me give some examples: local chicken is tasty, local fruit is hygienic, local vegetable is fresh, and local people make a big difference in your life. What about local literacy? In this short article, I highlight the importance of local literacy in relation to ELT in Nepal. I will also briefly discuss how local literacy in ELT can be promoted in the classroom. Let me start with some perspectives on globalization as the basis of this discussion.<br />
<br />
<b>Globalization and Local literacy: What?</b><br />
We all know that English has become a part of our social and individual lives: it is not only in our education and professions but also in our homes, through television, internet, mobile phones, and other information and communication technologies. Through social networking and new media in particular, English is continuing to work as one of the most powerful means of globalization (See related article in May 2009 issue of NeltaChoutari). We cannot consider the trends of globalization and the spread of English as neutral without being extremely naïve. As Bourdieu (2001) tells us that<br />
“<i>Globalization” serves as a password, a watchword, while in effect it is the legitimatory mask of a policy aiming to universalize particular interests and the particular tradition of the economically and politically dominant powers…It aims to extend to the entire world the economic and cultural model that favours these powers most, while simultaneously presenting it as a norm, a requirement, and a fatality, a universal destiny, in such a manner as to obtain adherence or, at the least, universal resignation</i>. (as cited in Phillipson, 2004)<br />
<br />
The term ‘globalization’ has now become a buzz word in every field, and it has very important implications in ELT because the English language is the most influential means of “universalizing particular interests and particular tradition of the economically and politically dominant powers” as Bourdieu argues. To say that we are simply “using” a “common” language for “communicating” across linguistic borders is both absolutely correct but absolutely ludicrous if we don’t “also” recognize/admit that languages belong to societies that wield cultural, social, and political powers through their languages: as language teachers, we must not limit our understanding and scholarship to dictionary definition of “language” because we must also know that the relative difference of the power that different language communities makes huge difference in both material and intellectual terms for people and societies. So, it is important to understand what role English plays in globalization of ideas and practices of dominant cultures. English is considered a ‘global’ language (Graddol, 1997; Crystal, 1997), and the number of researches on the role of English in globalization has increased in the last decade. Recent scholarship in this area helps us understand why and how the role of English as a global language should be assessed critically. The views about the role of globalization in language teaching are, however, more divergent. In their groundbreaking edited book ‘Globalization and Language Teaching,” Block and Cameron (2002) summarize following major views regarding globalization:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Hegemonically Western, and above all extension of American imperialism</li>
<li>Extreme of standardization and uniformity</li>
<li>Synergetic relationship between the global and the local- globalization</li>
</ul><br />
We see that the first view takes Gramsci’s ‘hegemony’ and Phillipson’s ‘linguistic imperialism’ about globalization considering it as a means to disseminate the Western and American economic, cultural, political and educational ideologies. In this sense, globalization is another face of Westernization and Americanization. This view is concerned more with the political and ideological discussion which, as I see, does not make more sense in ELT. But the second and third views have a great impact on ELT.<br />
<br />
We can relate two major issues – native speakerism and imported method – regarding the ‘standardization’ and ‘uniformity’ in ELT respectively. Standardization here means many things. The most obvious point related to ELT is that in order to maintain standard we have to follow ‘native’ English representing maybe CNN and BBC English. The uniformity can be interpreted as ‘adoption’ of the same textbook, method of teaching and learning material all over the world without considering the ‘local’ socio-cultural context.<br />
<br />
The third view – glocalization – is the negotiation between the global and the local in which we find the mixture of the both. At present, this cocktail idea has come to the fore to soothe the criticisms against globalization on the ground of ‘hegemonic’ and ‘imperialistic’ ideology. With this view, we can argue that globalization has its presence at local level as well. We can also say that it is the continuum which has greater impact at the global context but have less impact at the local context. This degree also differs in terms of power, economy and technological advancement. It is obvious that the societies which are poor, powerless and technologically underdeveloped have less impact of the globalization. In this regard, Block (2008) claims<br />
<br />
<i>Globalization is framed as the ongoing process of the increasing and intensifying interconnectedness of communications, events, activities and relationships taking place at the local, national or international level. (p.31)</i><br />
<br />
Although it is accepted that ‘local’ components can also be incorporated in the ‘globalization’, questions which have been ignored are: To what extent we have recognized the value of ‘local’ in ELT literacy practice? Which one (the global or the local) is dominant? How can we bring the ‘local’ into ELT pedagogy? In the remainder of this article, I discuss these issues with reference to ELT in Nepal.<br />
<br />
<b>Local literacy and local society</b><br />
Going through various literature and studies regarding literacy (e.g. Wallace, 1999, 2002), we find three major interpretations of local literacy. First interpretation takes local literacy as teaching through local languages. This is concerned more with the anti-linguistic imperialistic discussion pioneered by Phillipson (1992). Second interpretation is grounded on the use of language for daily communication. Teaching of English, in this regard, is considered as a planned and systematic academic endeavor to help ‘local children’ [Nepalese] use English in informal communications outside the classroom. But to what extent, Nepalese children, studying at Grades 1, 2, 3 in rural areas have to speak English while shopping, for example? Does such a projection of the English language as a means to achieve commodity help children achieve true essence of education? These issues are often ignored in academic discussion especially in the global ELT discourse. At the same time, as Cameron (2002) claims, ‘The dissemination of ‘global’ communicative norms and genres, like the dissemination of international languages, involves a one-way flow of expert knowledge from dominant to subaltern cultures” (p. 70).<br />
<br />
The third view, which I want to focus in this article, is concerned with the contextual sensitivity of any language literacy including ELT. According to this view, ELT should be in consonance with the socio-cultural and politico-economic realities of particular context where literacy in English takes place. Moreover, this view believes that English language learning is a ‘situated practice’ which happens with the ‘bottom-up’ fashion rather than ‘top-down’ and through so-called expertise-delivered-knowledge. To be more specific, let me ask some questions (although there are many) regarding teaching English in Nepal;<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Do the methods we are adopting while teaching English address our children’s values, beliefs and expectations?</li>
<li>Are the textbooks that we use for teaching the English language appropriate to our local socio-cultural and politico-economic realities?</li>
</ul><br />
We cannot answer these questions in a ‘yes/no’ manner. However, we can be realistic while discussing these issues. Elsewhere, Canagarajah (2002) vehemently argues that the global methods of teaching (e.g. communicative language teaching) have created inequalities in the global pedagogical village. Following a single method with ‘fits-in-all-context’ assumption does not really address learning needs and expectations of local children. Moreover, such an assumption does not empower children rather it marginalizes them psychologically and cognitively as well. This clearly indicates that we need to think about exploring our own practices of teaching English which is relevant to our own soil and people. At the same time, I am not claiming that we should not be aware of the global practices. We should be well informed with them but we should critically scrutinize those practices keeping our realities in view. I think I can discuss much about this when I come to textbook issue in the following paragraph.<br />
<br />
In many parts of the world like in Nepal, textbooks are sole source of teaching and learning English. In that sense, textbooks are the most important component of ELT pedagogy in Nepal. However, it is not bizarre to say that, writing and production of textbooks is the most neglected agenda in Nepal. Let me start with the textbooks prescribed by the government. The textbooks in many cases include ‘foreign culture’ as reading texts and situations for conversation, which are difficult to conceptualize for children, are also foreign in some cases. In a way, such situations and texts take children away from their own context. If our goal is to develop reading skills of children, why don’t we bring the texts which deal with local issues, cultures, realities and challenges? Let us research which text (related to local or global text) is effective for enhancing reading skill of Nepalese learners of English.<br />
<br />
The textbooks in private schools are more frustrating in terms of local literacy. The global textbooks like Headway/New Headway which are considered to be the global textbooks are prescribed in private schools without any approval from the government. Such global textbooks seem to promote more European and American culture, and project an affluent commodified life style (Gray, 2002). Through the texts like how much Bill Gates earn (New Headway/Upper-Intermediate, 1998) and going on holidays in London, New York, Paris and other expensive cities of the world, the global textbooks are projecting pleasure in life but they are ignoring pain of how a farmer in rural villages works hard to earn and feed his family. Why don’t we have reading texts on holidaying in Jomsom, paragliding from Sarangkot, trekking in Karnali and so on? Can’t we think about including the texts related to Maruni, Kauda, Dhan-nach, Deuda, Goura, Maha-puja, and so on? Are they not useful in teaching English? Of course, YES. On one hand, such texts promote interconnectedness between society and classroom teaching/learning and on the other hand, they help to address precious linguistic and cultural diversity we have. However, we, teachers of English, should always be ready to take the role of ‘transformative intellectuals’ (Kumarivadivelu, 2003) by going beyond our traditional role – teachers as a passive technician in the classroom – to accepting the extended role to show our concern in social reflection and situated practice of teaching English.<br />
<br />
<b>Future Directions: Critical Literacy and Postmethod Pedagogy</b><br />
<br />
The above discussion implies that the so-called global textbooks and methods of ELT do not seem to be inclusive and appropriate in diverse world contexts. ELT in Nepal has the same problem. The fundamental reason behind this is that ELT policies we have made are so far shaped by the traditional notion i.e. ELT means teaching about the English language only. But this notion is already obsolete because ‘methods’, ‘textbooks’ and ‘assumptions’ which work better do not fit in other contexts. Moreover, ELT is more than ‘teaching about English’ it is a part of education which is heavily loaded with culture, identity and ideology which need to be scrutinized in relation to local contexts.<br />
<br />
How we can promote local literacy is another crucial question we need to discuss. I am not expert at prescribing ideas which work better. But I think, Critical literacy and Postmethod Pedagogy are two major approaches which are helpful to promote ‘local literacy’ practices in Nepal.<br />
<br />
The basis of critical literacy is Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970) in which he criticises the transmission or ‘banking’ model of education (teachers are depositors and learners are depositories) and advocates for ‘dialogic’ model in which learners are not passive recipient but an active ‘agent’ of whole learning process. We have already discussed this issue in a January 2009 article of NeltaChoutari.<br />
<br />
One major issue that critical literacy addresses is inequalities that persist in ELT. It focuses on bringing social issues and controversies into the classroom. Moreover, this approach involves students in a continuous process of thinking critically through a dialogic process in which students are provided opportunities to discuss the issues which have relevance in local socio-cultural context. Thus students clearly see the relevance of learning English in their life which, moreover, promotes local literacy. In this regard, Norton and Toohey (2004) claim<br />
<br />
<i>Advocates of critical approaches to second language teaching are interested in relationships between language learning and social change. From this perspective, language is not simply a means of expression or communication; rather, it is a practice that constructs, and is constructed by, the ways language learners understand themselves, their social surroundings, their histories, and their possibilities for the future</i>” (p. 1).<br />
<br />
The Postmethod Pedagogy (Kumaravadivelu, 2001) is another approach which may be helpful in promoting local literacy in ELT. The three parameters of the postmethod pedagogy include particularity, practicality and possibility. According to the pedagogy of particularity, “Language pedagogy…must be sensitive to a particular group of teachers teaching a particular group of learners pursuing a particular set of goals within a particular institutional context embedded in a particular sociocultural milieu” (p. 538). Similarly, the pedagogy of practicality “does not pertain merely to the everyday practice of classroom teaching. It pertains to a much larger issue that has a direct impact on the practice of classroom teaching, namely, the relationship between theory and practice” (p. 540). Finally, the pedagogy of possibility is concerned with “participants’ experience which draws ideas not only from the classroom episodes but also from border social, political and economic environment in which they grew up” (p. 542). We can see that ‘local realities’ and ‘experiences’ of participants (teachers, and students) are core of ELT in every world context. This indicates that we need to share our experiences to generate more local knowledge which can be a treasure for the whole ELT community of practice. To this end, we have initiated NeltaChoutari as a voluntary work to tell Nepalese ELT stories to the rest of the world. We hope this sharing through monthly publication in future will provide a basis for producing local materials for ELT in Nepal.<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion</b><br />
The looming trend of banishing ‘local practices’ due to acceptance of ‘global practices’ as a granted is one of the serious global issues in ELT around the globe. The notion of uniformity and standardization do not seem to be appropriate in linguistically and culturally diverse world contexts. At the same time, the expectations, values and beliefs of learners should be addressed through all kinds of pedagogy including ELT. In this regard, we should think about the use of locally produced materials and be fully informed with the process of adapting ‘creative and critical instructional practices in order to develop pedagogies suitable for their [our] community’ (Canagarajah 1999 p.122). Moreover, as Holliday (2005) has argued, we should discuss whether methodological prescriptions generated in BANA contexts (British, Australia, and North America) have ‘currency’ in our contexts, whether they are locally validated or appropriated. In this sense, whole idea of local literacy in ELT is concerned with the idea of (re)generating locally appropriate methods of teaching, (re)producing local materials using local resources and incorporating local issues and identities and accommodating learners’ experiences through a dialogical process in the classroom.<br />
<br />
I am not saying that the ideas discussed in this article address all dimensions of local literacy nor I am saying that we should not be aware of global issues. What I am saying is our full dependence on global methods, norms and textbooks in ELT may not help to promote and sustain our identities and treasure of local knowledge. What I am saying is that we have wonderful ELT practices that we are not able to share with the people from other parts of the world which we need to do urgently. Let me give some example: we have very precious linguistic and cultural diversity in which English is being taught as a foreign language. We have been teaching under the shade of tree and sometimes in the open sky. We have been teaching more than 100 students in the same classroom even without chalk, duster and blackboard. We are teaching students who come from various linguistic, ethnic, religious, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Don’t you think that such realities and experiences are important source for teaching English? Of course, they are. We need to document these experiences so that other members of ELT community of practice will benefit a lot. Why don’t we take initiation of using local cultural texts (in addition to the texts given in the textbooks), for example, to teach reading and writing skills and see how it works? Can’t we bring stories of child labor, gender discrimination, inequality, poverty and so on to teaching English in the classroom? Of course, YES. But we need to work hard to achieve this end. We cannot make changes overnight but if we collaborative through different means like NeltaChoutari we can accomplish so many things for better ELT in Nepal.<br />
<br />
Finally, the future of ELT in Nepal will be even better if we don’t consider teaching of English not simply as teaching about the English language but also as part of education that aims to empower children and to bring some positive transformation in the knowledge-based society. I argue that English teachers are not merely ‘classroom teachers’, we are ‘agent of change’. This is possible only when have a strong foundation at local level. We can access global means only with the strong ‘local foundation’. I would say that the best ELT practice is the practice which accommodates local realities and helps learners to link them with global ones. For this, we need to be aware of maintaining balance between local and global.<br />
<br />
<b>References</b><br />
<br />
Block, D. & Cameron, D. (2002). Globalization and language teaching. London: Routledge.<br />
<br />
Block, D. (2008). Globalization and language education. In S. May and N. H. Hornberger (eds), Encyclopedia of Language and Education, 2nd Edition, Volume 1: Language Policy and Political Issues in Education, 31–43. Springer Science+Business Media LLC.<br />
<br />
Bourdieu, P. (2001). Contre-feux 2. Paris: Raisons d’agir.<br />
<br />
Cameron, D. (2002). Globalization and the teaching of ‘communication skills’. In Block, D. & Cameron, D. (eds.) Globalization and language teaching. London: Routledge.<br />
<br />
Canagarajah, A.S. (1999). Resisting linguistic imperialism in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.<br />
<br />
Canagarajah, A.S. (2002). Globalization, methods and practice in periphery classrooms. In Block, D. & Cameron, D. (eds.) Globalization and language teaching. London: Routledge.<br />
<br />
Crystal, D. (1997). English as a global language. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.<br />
<br />
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Harmondsworth: Penguin.<br />
<br />
Graddol, D. (1997). The future of English? London: The British Council.<br />
<br />
Gray, J. (2002). The global coursebook in English language teaching. In Block, D. & Cameron, D. (eds.) Globalization and language teaching. London: Routledge.<br />
<br />
Holliday, A. (2005). The struggle to teach English as an international language. Oxford: Oxford University Press,<br />
<br />
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2001). Toward a postmethod pedagogy. TESOL Quarterly, 35/4, 537-560.<br />
<br />
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Beyond method: Macrostrategies for language teaching. NewHaven, CO. Yale University Press.<br />
<br />
Norton, B. & Toohey, K. (Eds.) (1997).Critical pedagogies and language learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.<br />
<br />
Phillipson, R. (1992). Linguistic imperialism. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.<br />
<br />
Phillipson, R. (2004). Review article: English in globalization: Three approaches. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 3:1, 73 — 84.<br />
<br />
Wallace, C. (1999). Critical language awareness: key principles for a course in critical reading. Language Awareness 8, 2:98-110.<br />
<br />
Wallace, C. (2002). Local literacies and global literacy. . In Block, D. & Cameron, D. (eds.) Globalization and language teaching. London: Routledge.</div>Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-19691581409254118642010-06-24T09:37:00.000-07:002010-06-24T09:37:03.110-07:00Double Roles of English in NepalA famous British linguist David Crystal estimates that more than two billion people speak English presently. He further claims that this statistics is increasing every year because people have to learn English in order to keep them updated with the world news on politics, education, scientific innovations and economy. In general, we learn English not because it is the world’s largest language but it possesses a huge social and economic resource through which we define our social identity in the present globalized world. We, especially the people from the developing economies (Third World), are learning English not because it is the language of British, America, Australian and other developed countries, but by assuming that English develops our life style, provides job and enriches knowledge. In this regard, another British linguist and researcher, David Graddol in his book The Future of English claims that the nineteenth century British colonialism and the twentieth century American capitalism and culture are the two fundamental reasons for such a wide spread of English as a world language. In the same line, Braj Kachru describes English as a gateway to economic prosperity. Due to such a perceived materialistic charisma of English, the people from the developing economies assume that learning English is inevitable for individual and social empowerment. We consider English as a ‘passport’ to cross the boarder. <br />
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Although there are a number of benefits of English as mentioned above, we should not ignore the fact that its spread has also created some serious socio-economic and political issues not only in the developing economies but also in the developed countries like in America and the entire Europe. One of the major social-economic issues, to give an example of Nepal, is: the English language has created a big gap between haves and have-nots. If we flash back the history of the English language in Nepal, we could see it as the language of elites and affluent families. The Ranas’ protectionism of English as the language of rulers and the Panchayat’s covert willingness to make it the language of elites had clearly divided the whole Nepalese society into two groups. This clearly indicates that the English-literates dominate over the English-illiterates as the former possess the socio-economic and political power created by the English language. Moreover, after the restoration of democracy, English became the language of the expensive private schools which are affordable only by the affluent families. This clearly indicates that the English language does not seem to become the language of maintaining social equality in Nepal rather it has become only ‘power’ for the elites to dominate the whole society. <br />
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But against such a situation, people from different language communities are becoming aware of their vanishing language identity and on the other hand, different universal declarations (e.g. Declaration of Human Rights) have also clearly stated language as a human right. Following such provisions, Nepal has already introduced Education for All (EFA) programme in which mother tongue education in a major focus. <br />
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Moreover, human right activists and indigenous community leaders claim that English language teaching (ELT), especially in early schooling, marginalises the ethno-indigenous cultures and language, and creates social inequality among rich and poor. In this regard, a famous applied linguist, Robert Phillipson passionately contends that maintaining the legacy of the former colonial history of English speaking countries and presently being the language of globalisation, English has become a major threat for local languages. This is happening in Nepal too. In addition to the long domination of the Nepali language in all domains, now, English has been introduced from Grade One in schools without any intensive research. It has been introduced because all, especially policy makers (who are from elite groups), assume that English is important at this modern age. However, they have never looked at the problems faced by children while learning English from Grade One. They are not serious about the vanishing local language and culture. Although there is the provision of mother tongue education, due to the socio-economic power ascribed to English (and Nepali), the innocent children and parents are motivated to learn English by forgetting their own ethnolinguistic identity. This implies that the taken-for-granted assumption towards English will lead to serious economic and political disadvantages in the future. <br />
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This is a bizarre fact that developed/industrialised countries are focusing on producing competent multilingual manpower. They have shifted their mind from monolingual-English-speaker to multilingual ones. They have seen that a multilingual young man is more competent than one who is a monolingual English speaker. However, what we are assuming and doing in Nepal is that as far as possible we are trying to make our students monolingual speakers of English through its overemphasis in education. This will of course be a serious disadvantage for the forthcoming generations. This discussion clearly indicates that there is an urgent need of an academic meaningful discussion on the policy of English language teaching in Nepal and in other developing economies. <br />
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Another issue of teaching English in Nepal is whether or not we are able to link the English language with students’ real world view. Closely associated with this issue are the questions: Are we following only the methods that are developed in the West or creating our own methods which fit in our context? Are we promoting a sustainable learning through critical thinking or just making students a parrot to drill the grammar of English? Do our textbooks address learners’ identities, cultures and values or only borrows ‘foreign’ ones? Are we teaching English in isolation or by linking it with local and global issues? I am not answering these questions here because they do not have absolute answers. However, these questions lead us to a process which helps us to lay a strong foundation to set up the positive role of English in the diverse context of Nepal. <br />
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While talking about the identity, there come different varieties of English. Since the number of native speakers of English is already exceeded by the number of non-native speakers, there is no point in prescribing only one or two so-called standard variety of English. With the global spread of English not only the population of English speakers is increasing but also the varieties of English are increasing. In this context, we should contemplate on some issues like whether we have a Nepalese English variety? How feasible is it to use as a medium of instruction in schools? At this moment, I can only make a hypothesis that one day we will have a separate variety of English, the Nepalese English. This may emerge with the publications of textbooks and materials in Nepal by local authors and writers instead of importing the books from foreign countries. <br />
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In this regard Numa Markee, Professor of University of Illinois, argues that Nepalese applied linguists and English teachers should take a leading role in framing the discussion of language issues. In particular, “what (quasi) official role (if any) should English play in relation to indigenous Nepalese languages, and in particular sectors of the economy, education, science, business, and tourism?” <br />
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The above discussion suggests that there is an urgent need of a comprehensive survey of language issues in Nepal which closely looks at the role of English in education and social life of people. English teachers should not only be a teacher, they have a social responsibility to address the beliefs and values of learners while teaching English. We should move beyond the English-Only assumption to English-With-Other-Languages. As professor Makee has put: What steps should Nepal take to maintain its linguistic and cultural heritage from the potential “killer” characteristics of English? has to be borne in our mind. Otherwise, English will only become the symbol of ‘hegemony’ as the nineteenth century philosopher Antonio Gramsci says. <br />
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(Mr Phyak researches and writes on the issue of English in multilingual contexts, and ethnolinguistic and cultural identity. He can be reached at pphyak@gmail.com)Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-79154113781838183182010-05-30T02:59:00.000-07:002010-05-30T02:59:32.040-07:00Reflection: Week 8Dear All<br />
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Last week, I read three articles on learner autonomy by Dimitrios Thanasoulas (2000), Samuel P-H Sheu and Ricahrd Smith (conversation with Andy Barfield). The articles deal with different aspects of learner autonomy. Dimitrios Thanasoulas discusses the correlation between learner autonomy and learning strategies, activities for promoting learner autonomy and factors affecting learner autonomy. Learner autonomy is based on the philosophy of constructivism in learning in which students take an active role. At the same time, teachers also should play a constructive role to facilitate the learning process. The whole idea as discussed by Thanasoulas is based on the theory of learning strategies. An autonomous leaner makes an effective use of their learning strategies. They are provided many alternatives in order to allow them to work with their own learning strategies. Although meta-cognitive and cognitive learning strategies have been discussed in the article, there is no any discussion about socio-affective strategies which implies that learner autonomy is more concerned with individual phenomenon rather than social one. Is learner autonomy individual or social? <br />
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Self-report, diaries and evaluation sheets are major activities suggested to promote learner autonomy. I would also like to add one more activity or technique, project-based language learning, which promotes learner autonomy through collaboration. I am always confused with whether learner autonomy is process or product. I believe that learner autonomy is more a matter of process than a product. All learners are to some extent autonomous. Only the difference is the degree. <br />
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Learner autonomy is always affected by beliefs of both learners and teachers towards teaching and learning. If learners do not have positive beliefs towards self-learning and teachers also do not believe in learning through students’ active participation, there is no point in arguing for learner autonomy. Moreover, as discussed by Samuel P-H Sheu and Ricahrd Smith (conversation with Andy Barfield), other factors like teacher autonomy, and academic system (examination system, teaching style, expectation of authority and learners) also seem to affect leaner autonomy. Of course, there is no doubt that if teacher is not autonomous to decide what techniques of teaching and textbooks are relevant for their students, learners cannot be autonomous. In a structured and closed type of syllabus, learner autonomy does not make any sense. <br />
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Moreover, curriculum should itself be a guide to promote learner autonomy. For this, it should involve goals, strategies, text, methods, learners’ and teachers’ role etc. which guide learners to be more active in the learning process. Thus, the whole process of learning autonomy depends on the curriculum designing process. Likewise, socio-cultural factors cannot be forgotten. They are crucial to shape the learning process. <br />
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I also went through various websites on one-computer classroom. I learned that even a use of one computer in the classroom help learners to be more autonomous and independent. <br />
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Cheers<br />
PremPremhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-17653698465254005762010-05-29T01:01:00.001-07:002010-05-29T01:01:57.888-07:00Learner AutonomyDear All <br />
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I went through very insightful and comprehensive articles What is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be Fostered? and Learner Autonomy: Bird-in-the-hand or Bird-in-the-bush? by Thanasoulas (2000) and Sheu (n.d.) respectively. The former defines learner autonomy, discusses theories underpinning learner autonomy and provides some practical activities for fostering learner autonomy. Learner autonomy is defined as a learning process in which learners learn independently. It is learners' ability to cope with process of learning utilising their own learning styles. Thanasoulas (2000) argues that an autonomous learner is an active agent in the learning process. Likewise, Little (1991:4) defines it as "a capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision making, and independent action." In learner autonomy, learning is considered as a constructive process in which learners actively participate in exploring meanings which fit in their world views. Learners are not passive recipients of knowledge but an important source of constructing new knowledge. In this sense, in the autonomous learning process, the bottom-up process in which learners are put at the centre is adopted rather than the top-down in which teachers seek to transmit what they have in their head to the students. <br />
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Thanasoulas further says that "Learner autonomy consists in becoming aware of, and identifying, one's strategies, needs, and goals as a learner, and having the opportunity to reconsider and refashion approaches and procedures for optimal learning." This clearly tells us that learners must be aware of their own learning styles or strategies. I agree with the idea that without identifying the needs and goals of learners, teachers cannot facilitate them towards being an autonomous. With an extensive review of the literature on learner autonomy, Thanasoulas argues that the objective of language teaching should be to produce an autonomous learner. Without promoting autonomy, we can of course question or doubt on sustainability of any language teaching program and effectiveness of teaching. <br />
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He has also discussed activities that promote learners autonomy. First, he talk about self-reports in which learners are asked to report how they will be learning (introspective self-report) and how they learned (retrospective self-report). I agree that self-reporting promotes learner autonomy in general. However, it is very difficult for learners to self-report their own learning. Especially, young learners cannot self-report their learning. Moreover, this process does not seem to foster any kind of cooperation among learners. Diaries are better than self-report, I think. On the one hand, they help us to keep record of learning styles and on the other hand, they help students reflect on their own learning. Importantly, diaries represent learners' voices. <br />
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However, learners' beliefs and attitudes towards learning, teachers and themselves are very important factors to determine learner autonomy. For example, in my contexts, learners expect notes through dictation from teachers and they consider teachers' idea final. Even the master's level students do not go through the books prescribed in the course. They ask teachers to give notes. They never ask questions in the classroom. This is the continuity of how children are taught in schools in Nepal. When I was in school, I was never asked to read the passages and discuss with friends to answer questions based on the text. Teachers used to give us answers. Moreover, I was never asked to write a paragraph or essay myself. Teachers used to dictate us all essays on discipline, value of time, river in Nepal etc. for example and we should parrot them line-by-line. The same learning style gets continuity upto higher level. One of the lacunas in Thanasoulas's article is that he does not discuss anything about the role of academic culture and socio-cultural factors which shape the whole teaching and learning process. In this regard, Samuel P-H Sheu opines that the degree of learner autonomy is not only an individual process but it is determined by the whole teaching system. I agree with him. For example, my students are not motivated to learn themselves independently. There are two reasons behind this. First, the whole evaluation system of university is so limited that students' performance is evaluated on the basis of a 4-hour written examination in which they have to answer the structured questions asked from the syllabus. They cannot put their views and critiques. They have to write what the teachers say but not their own judgement and opinions. Second, teachers have to finish the whole course within a limited time frame. So they focus mainly on finishing the course by delivering lectures and giving notes rather than involving students in independent works. Moreover, as the students are evaluated on the basis only what they score in the examinations, they do not see any relevance of reading more books, articles and judging them from their own perspectives. <br />
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Richard Smith, as cited by Sheu, is right to argue that learner autonomy is correlated with teacher autonomy. If he/she does not believe in the exploratory learning, does not involve students in classroom interaction, does not try bringing changes within the teaching system where he/she works and does not have his/her own idiosyncratic way of teaching and learning, there is no point of discussing the value of learner autonomy. At the same time, teachers can an agent of change by giving students active role in the learning process. In my opinion, teacher autonomy is equally important for learner autonomy. <br />
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Thanasoulas (2000) argues that persuasive communication changes learners' beliefs and attitudes. But I argue that teachers' autonomy reflected in the classroom teaching is more important to change the beliefs and attitudes of learners. Until, teachers are able to leave positive impact in the classroom through their teaching, students are not motivated to become autonomous learners. <br />
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From the above discussion, some issues of contentious have emerged. First, is learner autonomy an inborn capacity (as Thanasoulas, referring to Benson & Voller 1997, puts) which is suppressed by institutional education? In my opinion, learner autonomy is neither inborn nor it can be suppressed by institutional education. I think it is more socio-cultural which is shaped by different socio-cultural factors including institutional education. Thus, as a teacher we need to consider the socio-cultural things which shape the beliefs and attitudes of learners towards the way of learning, teachers and themselves. <br />
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Second, is learner autonomy only an individual or social? This question is related to aanother question: Is it process or product? I think learner autonomy is not only individual but also social. And it is not only a product but also a process. I think that we cannot produce a 100% autonomous leaner. Autonomy always remains in degree and process. In order to enhance autonomy, learners need to be engaged in interaction in which they get chance to negotiate their views. At some point, I find that the concept of learner autonomy contradictory with the concept of learning through interaction and collaboration. This tension is intense if we take learner autonomy as an individual. Thanasoulas (ibid.) also does not address this tension as he does not focus on the social strategies of learning (Cook, 2008) – learners collaborate with friends to learn – rather focuses only on metacognitive and cognitive strategies. <br />
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To sum, the theory behind learner autonomy has to integrate social-cultural factors. A discussion on process vs. product of learner autonomy has to be backed up by some empirical studies. I argue that learner autonomy is closely related to teacher autonomy. The way teacher presents himself in the classroom through his/her way of teaching determines the degree of learner autonomy. One of the important tools in this regard will be technology which empowers the ability of both teachers and students as we have discussed in previous weeks. Moreover, technology provides a motivating space for collaboration and sharing among friends which gradually promote learner autonomy. <br />
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I will be happy to read you comments on this post. <br />
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References<br />
Benson, P. & Voller, P. (1997). Autonomy and independence in language learning. London: Longman. <br />
Cook, V. (2008). Second language learning and language teaching. UK: Hodder Education. <br />
Sheu, S. P-H. (n.d.) Learner Autonomy: Bird-in-the-hand or Bird-in-the-bush? Available at http://coyote.miyazaki-mu.ac.jp/learnerdev/LLE/8.1/sheuE.html<br />
Thanasoulas, D. (2000).'What is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be Fostered?' The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VI, No. 11. Available at http://iteslj.org/Articles/Thanasoulas-Autonomy.html<br />
Little, D. (1991). Learner autonomy 1: Definitions, issues and problems. Dublin: Authentik.Premhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-50453116517824820062010-05-25T08:55:00.000-07:002010-05-25T08:56:03.353-07:00some issueDear All <br /><br />Many interesting points are emerging from the discussion in this thread. Most of the posts suggest that teaching in a large class is challenging as Bülent and Mary argue "Teaching in large classes is really challenging for every teacher. Keeping students engaged in large lecture classes is a hard thing to do." Of course, there are many issues, ranging from low classroom interaction to noise, in large classes. However, I have a bit different idea. I have been teaching in large classes of around 130 students in a class. I feel that a large class can be a significant source for teaching English. I enjoy teaching in a large class as I can see so many people listening to me attentively even for 4 hours with 20 minutes break in the middle. <br /><br />Since a large class consists of students from diverse linguistic and socio-cultural backgrounds, we can ask them to share their own cultural backgrounds. On one hand, this process motivates them to interact in the classroom and on the other hand, an intercultural atmosphere will be developed in the classroom. In this connection, technology will be a help to explore the videos and cultural texts of the students from different cultural backgrounds. <br />I argue that the presence of technology is not a big deal in a large class. Out-of-Class-Technology can also be a significant source to create an interactive classroom environment. Exploring text, activities and videos appropriate to the level and need of the students will, of course, motivate students to interact in the classroom. What do you think friends? Please comment on this.<br /><br />Cheers<br />PremPremhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-79782704529716375002010-05-25T08:26:00.001-07:002010-05-25T08:30:17.633-07:00Using technology in large classesDear All<br /><br />I went through Using Technology In Teaching Large Classes at http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/workshops/teachertraining/largeclasses/usingtechnology/usingtechnology.html where I could see so many ideas to use technology to make teaching effective especially in the large class context. I could see that there is a great role of technology in promoting interactions or discussions in the classroom. First, technological tools like WebQuest and technology-integrated projects allow students to work in a small group independently. Second, since such tools have clear expected outcomes, they are focused on the activities or tasks. In order to accomplish the tasks, students have to interact with each other. <br /><br />The above discussion indicates that introduction of technological tools undoubtedly helps to maintain interaction in large classes. Moreover, technology also helps teachers to focus on the topic and encourage students to ask questions. To give my own example, I used to be tired while shouting for 2 hours to teach a large class. I could hear noises in the classroom. But after I started using power point, I feel comfortable and students pay attention on the point mentioned on the PPT. Overall, the lesson is more organised. <br /><br />However, it is true that we need to handle technology properly in order to make it more interactive. I argue that technology itself may not be interactive. It largely depends upon how we use it in the classroom. I like 'priming' for large classes. It will motivate students to discuss on the issue of discussion. But in my context, Just-in-Time teaching does not work as there is no facility of computers and internet connections in the classroom. However, this technique involves students in the thinking process before beginning of the class.<br />One of the important points that Felder (1997) discusses is out-of-class group assignments. In this technique, students are divided into various groups depending on their number. For example, if there are 100 students we can divide them into ten groups. After the group division, we provide students with technology-integrated projects or webquests. We can ask them to work in group and present their report in the classroom. This will create an interactive classroom environment. This will also help teachers to manage large classes. <br /><br />Moreover, interactive power points with the interactive techniques like Think-Pair-Share and Concept Tests make large classes more interactive. To sum up, if teacher can select an appropriate technology, large classes can be made more interactive. But technology itself is not interactive. It needs proper handling with clear objectives in the classroom. <br /><br />There are a lot to share. There are tons of articles to read which takes may than a month to finish. Please share your ideas and comment on my post. <br /><br />Regards<br />Prem <br />References <br />.<br />Felder, R.M. (1997). Beating the numbers game: Effective teaching in large classes. Available online at <br />http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/Largeclasses.htm<br />Teaching Large Classes. Available online at <br />http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/teaching/largeclasses.html#technology<br />Using Technology In Teaching Large Classes. Available online at http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/workshops/teachertraining/largeclasses/usingtechnology/usingtechnology.htmlPremhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2731037538103403292.post-72700051486595271602010-05-25T08:26:00.000-07:002010-05-25T08:30:14.565-07:00Using technology in large classesDear All<br /><br />I went through Using Technology In Teaching Large Classes at http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/workshops/teachertraining/largeclasses/usingtechnology/usingtechnology.html where I could see so many ideas to use technology to make teaching effective especially in the large class context. I could see that there is a great role of technology in promoting interactions or discussions in the classroom. First, technological tools like WebQuest and technology-integrated projects allow students to work in a small group independently. Second, since such tools have clear expected outcomes, they are focused on the activities or tasks. In order to accomplish the tasks, students have to interact with each other. <br /><br />The above discussion indicates that introduction of technological tools undoubtedly helps to maintain interaction in large classes. Moreover, technology also helps teachers to focus on the topic and encourage students to ask questions. To give my own example, I used to be tired while shouting for 2 hours to teach a large class. I could hear noises in the classroom. But after I started using power point, I feel comfortable and students pay attention on the point mentioned on the PPT. Overall, the lesson is more organised. <br /><br />However, it is true that we need to handle technology properly in order to make it more interactive. I argue that technology itself may not be interactive. It largely depends upon how we use it in the classroom. I like 'priming' for large classes. It will motivate students to discuss on the issue of discussion. But in my context, Just-in-Time teaching does not work as there is no facility of computers and internet connections in the classroom. However, this technique involves students in the thinking process before beginning of the class.<br />One of the important points that Felder (1997) discusses is out-of-class group assignments. In this technique, students are divided into various groups depending on their number. For example, if there are 100 students we can divide them into ten groups. After the group division, we provide students with technology-integrated projects or webquests. We can ask them to work in group and present their report in the classroom. This will create an interactive classroom environment. This will also help teachers to manage large classes. <br /><br />Moreover, interactive power points with the interactive techniques like Think-Pair-Share and Concept Tests make large classes more interactive. To sum up, if teacher can select an appropriate technology, large classes can be made more interactive. But technology itself is not interactive. It needs proper handling with clear objectives in the classroom. <br /><br />There are a lot to share. There are tons of articles to read which takes may than a month to finish. Please share your ideas and comment on my post. <br /><br />Regards<br />Prem <br />References <br />.<br />Felder, R.M. (1997). Beating the numbers game: Effective teaching in large classes. Available online at <br />http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/Largeclasses.htm<br />Teaching Large Classes. Available online at <br />http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/teaching/largeclasses.html#technology<br />Using Technology In Teaching Large Classes. Available online at http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/workshops/teachertraining/largeclasses/usingtechnology/usingtechnology.htmlPremhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520573508447457174noreply@blogger.com0