My thesis classes:
Earlier before the start of the third semester of MICD, the thesis class of Dr.Dinesh Bhuju was a good review of history on research and what research mean to be for the new student of the thesis writing. A very good practice of literature review citations techniques that have been used in the thesis writing. It was of at least one week of preliminary classes before the beginning of the semester actually.
It had been a great momentum after Dr. Prakash Chandra Bhattarai’s classes initiated with brainstorming into details of research. One of his class reviews was being our home assignment which I wrote as such below:
Title: A Class review on Research by Prakash C Bhattarai, submitted by Shreebas C Saakha, MICD BATCH IV.
Prakash sir had already come and started talking with students who had come earlier in the class. Slowly the class had been filling. It was the first class of his in MICD ever. He wanted to check the level of student I guess. That’s why he gave a question to all about what a research means; “ What is Research?”
Everybody who was outspoken shoot his answers. Basically, the answers were right but Prakash sir tried to give a different from others. He critically said if our answer were right? And Did it really give the complete answer? It was a sense of feeling to me that he wanted to question back to ourselves everything that we think of research from what we had in mind then.
He focused on conceptualization in his delivery and he asked what society means to us, and why my meaning is different with others? He insisted us to find the knowledge deep-rooted in context.
In this sense, He agreed to have multiple truths if everyone has different perspectives which mean each one us has a different truth. But, we can’t deny of “Sunrise in the east and sets in the west.” My statement in the class was of having the different reality of their own states of the present, then we can’t deny multiple truths as well.
I think, the state of mind while sensing the time in which we are living is different with one another. I may be in someone’s past or someone may be in my future. I may flashback into my past while I look to someone’s present now. So, sense of reality from we are each of us is in different time zones although our flesh body is here. The flesh body of reality is of something similar to “Sunrise in the east and sets in the west.”
He went on explaining contextual differences due to why things are different to each other. Adding on to research he talked about the terminology such as Post-positivism, humanism, and pragmatism. He generally tried to get answers what we think about it and how we know them about rather than giving his way what they really mean it. It was his first class exploring at MICD class of Batch IV.
The final day of Prakash C Bhattarai:
He has given a final assignment on writing a basic research with basic components on qualitative research. That was being submitted by me lately after only the last day official of the third semester. That I wrote as following below:
The changing trends of Educational development in school children of Nepal.
Introduction:
Looking into current scenario of Nepalese education system, the development of education presents the challenges in the educational system. The obstacles are resolving in the context of how we design the system of education in the federal system of Nepal although the implementation of the design that the policymakers have made is yet to be felt by all Nepalese. The gap that we see between the private and public schools; Quality of education, discipline, the attitude among students, the moral and values they earn and carry around from schools to society and their homes, are needed to be analyzed although the curriculum is same among both public and private schools. There is a need for proper and continuous dialogue among Ministry of education, Educationalist, NPABSON and Guardians Association and other stakeholders. This is a need of an hour.
Problem statement:
“Challenges of educational development in Nepal, Lacuna in our educational system and to resolve the obstacles in the current scenario.”
Methodology:
Organization of Panel discussion on the topic and participants of discussion selected as:
- “Challenges of educational development in Nepal, Lacuna in our educational system and resolving the obstacles.”
The speakers are invited; Dr. Hari Lamsal, Spokesperson, Ministry of Education, Prof, Dr. Bidya Nath Koirala, Educationalist, Mr. Karn Bahadur Shahi, Former President, NPABSON, Mr, Suprabhat Bhandari, Founder President of Guardians Association.
The following arrangement of the discussion program has been held on 7th March 2018, Wednesday on Venue Russian Culture Centre, Kamalpokhari, Kathmandu.
After the organization of Panel discussions, observation and interpretation have been made and information and data have been collected.
Data collection and Analysis:
Panel Discussion 1:
During the discussion, it was started by Founder President of Guardians Association Mr. Suprabhat Bhandari explaining the expectation of Guardians towards their children’s school when their sons and daughters go to school, the suffering associated with Guardians’ and school’s system when their children have to follow in terms of changing dresses frequently on a weekdays, what morals and value their children are getting from school and practiced in home. The changing scenario has been seen especially the gap between the students and teacher in technology unfriendly environment at school and as well as at homes with their parents. The differences have been felt in understanding their children to which they are exposing in the current scenario of an environment of modern technology and internet.
Then, Joining by Former President of NPABSON, Mr Karn Bahadur Shahi, explained about the huge shift in the quality of education in schools of Nepal during the past time periods of his presidency but he reinforced about what morals and values they are getting from schools and he questioned about it saying “is this what we want to see in the development of education in private schools?” “How should we teach the morals and values in private schools children? Public and Dharmic schools are far better in this, he added. But, obstacles are there in integrating it and how should we include other subjects of areas in Dharmic schools?”
Prof. Dr. Bidya Nath Koirala an Educationist expressed optimistic view on how we are now stepping into educational development in Nepal once we have entered into federal republic system. Decentralization of present system allows more openness towards local values and now the District education offices are going to be dismantled though now still it has some operational needs felt by the present. The need of our education system is inclusive and for all. For that, the education needs to be practical, and those who can’t attend in school should get facilitated even at home on their hours; “Maybe by giving educational contents through mobiles?” he asked. “We need to think differently about the current need for an hour in the education system. We do have options now to make own strategies and collective actions once we have gone into federalism”, he felt optimistic about this way. There have to be equal opportunities given to students in the future whether he studied at private schools or public schools or dharmic schools. Whether he lives in a city or a village or mountains, the accessibility of education needs to be equal. I asked him about do we really need equality in education. He became thoughtful and asked if our every finger is equal. He was right. Based on capability and need of individuals, the need of education approach, content and facilities could be different. So, we should approach with equity-based rather than the equality based education system.
At last, Dr. Hari Lamsal, Spokesperson of Ministry of Education, delivers his way out of what the government is trying to do by reinforcing what Prof.Dr. Bidya Nath Koirala explained. And, also he gave a contrasting view saying that some of the highly upper educated class in Nepal of some 10 percent could be segregated and the government doesn’t have any options to give rank to them leaving rest in the equality. His statement of this kind made me think the inner challenges that the government is feeling in terms of implementation of educational strategies due to the recognition of some elite educated groups those exists in Nepal.
Conclusion:
The dialogue between the government, Ministry of education, Educationist, NPABSON, and Stakeholders such as Guardians Association has been made which has been based on the current scenario of Nepal in its challenges of educational development. We have included major changing trends in school education of Nepal which have been heartfelt by all during the discussions such as accessibility with inclusiveness of all students whoever and wherever they live in Nepal, for which practical education is required that can impact not only on their just the education but also the character building such as moral and values in them. The acquaintance of difficulties of implementation for the government has been recognized that can be hope to resolve while we are going into the federalism and states in which the strategies of implementation can be made by the participation of local themselves making more accountable as well.
Limitations:
- We have not included all the challenges of educational development in Nepal due to time limits.
- The discussion was made briefly and the time limit was about one hour and fifteen minutes only.
- The content of research solely based on Discussion Panel 1.
After the classes end of the third-semester officially, the final exam yet to be scheduled then, which has already published on the University website now and scheduled on April 6, 2018.
It has been getting closer to choosing the thesis title of my research and before that Micdians organised a Cohort Prodell workshop for three days at Sweethome Bhaktapur, and it was a residential workshop with an enthusiastic and motivating Suresh Pradhan Sir.
During the three days workshop, it has been a great exercised into brainstorming and delivering of what we have learned or have had knowledge about it. It was of DFID’s call for proposal of Disaster risk assessment, urban planning, and management on local governments which was one of the three overall objectives of proposal terms of reference.
It was the time for the thesis research proposal selection of the title and I have selected the following title of which I made an initial presentation on the title below:
Title: A sustainable value chain development of Nepalese tea in the global context: Branding & Quality
As It is in an initial phase of the research, it was advised by the Dr. Dinesh Bhuju sir for review on the same presentation making it more specific.
