Schooling: Education for some

Forgetting the norm of "free education for all" and swopping it into an "education for those who can afford it and know the right people"-attitude takes some real effort, and the idea of schools run by business-people cuts painfully in a social-democratically well-trained ear.

Kathmandu is full of schools. In the mornings and afternoons you see flocks of children in their nice and neat school uniforms and school busses crowding the main roads. Each street corner has signs like: "Future Star School", "Galaxy School", "Ideal School", "Lovebud School", "Paradise English Boarding School" etc. Very uplifting indeed! But only for those who are able to pay term fees, registration costs, book costs, for uniforms, bus-service, lunch, boarding, and many other expenditures that may and most probably will just "pop up".

Lovely, inspiring, colorful classrooms, with only a limited number of students, excellent equipment for all possible activities, even swimming pools within some school grounds, and well trained teachers often specialised in some pedagogical approach are available only to few very lucky ones. The less expensive, church, charity or alike run schooling possibilities are naturally limited.

The adult literacy rate in Nepal is 57 % and considering the following, as stated by UNICEF Nepal, the question raises, is the situation heading towards any better?

"Forced closures of schools due to strikes have cut the school year in half in some areas. Teachers have been threatened, assaulted and even killed. Thousands of students have been taken from school for political indoctrination, and some have been recruited into the Maoist forces or militia."

Me struggling to find a place for my children somewhere in the middle of the school year, many stating the next admission will only be at the beginning of next year, April, is only a tip of the mountain, it seems after having done some reading and fact finding today at the Unicef stand in the UN day-celebration (the real UN-Day being tomorrow, have a good one folks!).

I have the right contacts, I have the resources and really it is just making me happy that the children are beginning to grow worried whether they can go to school or not and learning not to be taking the schooling for granted anymore. (A would most likely be ready to even go to the "Little Angel School" on which he previously had strong opinions, merely because of the name). As I am lucky enough to have the trust, unlike many many other concerned parents in this country, that sooner or later school places will be arranged.

Jumping loosely ahead, talking about things arranging. I now have a landlady who belongs to that mentioned 57 per cent and could neither read nor sign the lease I produced earlier today. Thankfully her under-aged daughter could write, but probably did not understand a thing of the actual English wording. The good news, however, for us is that we are moving to some empty rooms tomorrow. Unfortunate is that we're leaving the priviledges of a hotel behind, including an internet connection and therefore more will follow only in some undefinate future.