DESTINATION NEPAL

The education system is blooming day by day in Nepal, especially due to interest from the foreigners.


By Aashis Luitel

Emily Jones, 20, from California, America has chosen Nepal to study the course ‘French language’ . When asked why she chose Nepal for her course study then she gave a simple answer that “Is the place only to learn Nepali?” 

In the last week’s issue of the guardian , London based English daily, Aida Edemariam's article “who still wants to learn languages?” got support from an American who really liked her article. She said a language apart from your mother tongue is learn by those who think they have to know about the world. Emily might also felt that and came all the way from America to learn this course.

Emily

When asked about the details of the course then it was more sort of medical course than just the language course.

Nepal’s Tribhuwan University and Americans Cornell University on student exchange programme send American students over here in Nepal. “Due to this I got an opportunity to study in Nepal all the way from University of Pennsylvania,”she said, “When I said my friends about this then they got shocked and looked at me with jealousy.”

Being a daughter of software engineer and grown up in the city of San Francisco, she had keen interest in learning new things from young age. She is even more glad because her mother has is now doing her PhD Though she had to leave her friends , family she will be doing research about her course and try learn about the Nepali culture. She even says that learning new things and studying has different joy in it. “Due to the natural heritage of Nepal I got attached to it” and beside she feels glad to study in Nepal and thanks her fortune. When asked “do other Americans think the same way?” She takes time to answer and says “many people don’t even that Nepal even exist in the world map”. She feels glad to promote Nepal over there in America and she has full confidence in herself. “Sometimes when I show them some glimpses of Nepal then they feel shocked to see that there is such a wonderful place in the earth” She said.  Emily openly said that she lives in the girls hostel at Kirtipur. She got a shock when she got to know that girls and boys have different hostels.

Lauri

Like Emily there is another guy named Lauri holm from Finland who is staying at the international hostel of Kathmandu University. He came here around three weeks ago. Lauri is studying Mechanical engineering in KU, and is from Hamk University of applied sciences Finland,who regularly goes to class over here.

While talking to Hello Shukrabar he shared his experience of studying sincerely over here. He finds interest in studying the course engineering management saying that he gained practical knowledge from this course.

He entered Nepal thinking “will I be able to get more of practical knowledge than just theoretical?” He had searched about this before entering Nepal. He got glad when he got an opportunity to study in Nepal. He was congratulated by many and asked him the process of studying out here.

The first day when he entered college he has confused but by seeing the number of foreigners out  here he regained his confidence and made friends out here. When he got closer to his new friends then he got a nickname “lahure”. He gets happy when he is called by the name and he adds to it that “I am just like you guys”. With the decent French cut, neatly combed hair and toned body it seems like a Nepali has returned from another country. With his stay about to be one month he got to know the meaning of “lahure” .

Min

Another student min jung lee from Korean’s National Chan Wan University, shares her experience saying she didn’t like the system of education in Korea. Everything used to be taught in Korean in school level and when joined the university she got no change in the system and whenever tried learn new things she never succeeded on top of that the teachers used to convert English into Korean and make it tough for them. “What I feel is that studying is learning,” she said, “but what is the use of learning the same thing over and over?” And studying about international relations in her university soon she felt bored of it. Likewise her friends felt the same and where making future plans to move out of the country. She also decided to move out of the country but she was not able to get family support because she had recently lost her father.

Thinking about her future she was going through the television where she saw documentary about Nepal and got support from them because they were in more pain than her but still were happier and lastly she found her destiny for her future. But had given a second thought “what will I do over there in Nepal?” but changed her mind thinking that there will be more opportunity in Nepal than in other developed countries. “When I said about my study plans in Nepal,” she remembered, “then my friend’s got shocked and asked me why?” Then she answered back saying to study and she came to her destined place in 2007. After that the main problem was which college to join? Then she asked her professors which college to join through internet. She got a reply about st. xaviers college. Presently she is doing her bachelors in social works and she is in third year.

When she got her admission out there she had to face the difficulty in learning the course due to her weakness in English. But when she made friends out here then she got to learn Nepali from them. Initially she had problem in passing her exams but after she made friends then she is happy to pass it clearly and she wishes to do her masters out here.

Mohmaed Lasan,from Maldivs, has the same story ,he is studying medical in Institute Of Medical science in Maharajung and is in second year and wishes to do masters over here. He shares his story saying that he thought he would not get a chance to become a doctor but he completed his A-levels he searched the best medical colleges and got to know about IOM , he is glad to get admitted to it and wishes to complete his college sincerely.

He even says that he was crazy to become a doctor since childhood and he worked under a doctor as his assistant in Male and side by side even prepared for the entrance exam.

Mohammad

In the early days the 23 year old Lasan used to miss his home but due to the study load he forgot about his home. He shares his room with an Englishmen and even says that he is the only son of a businessman and he has two elder sister whom he really misses. he even said about his future plan saying that he wants to serve for his country so he wants to finish his course over here and go back there as soon as possible and open a institute(like IOM) over there too. 

According to the education ministry the total enrollment till date (i.e 2009/10) there are 1183 foreign students studying in Nepal. It is 150 more than last year enrollment. In this manner there are more students who are willing to come to Nepal which is blooming nepali culture, nepal’s natural heritage as well as the nepali education system.   

hellofriday@aashisluitel.com

Note : This article is the English version of NEPALI article published in Kantipur's friday supplement HELLOSHUKRABAR in 3rd September 2010

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POLITICIANS VS. YOUTH INNOVATORS

It was not planned to happen but it happened by fluke. Its nature and its surrounding were almost the same and it usually started with someone giving the order and the presentation started followed by the questions by the audience and answer the presenter. As usual it started late ‘due to technical reason’ and started by 10:30. The presenters were forced to stop the presentation as they were given time limitation for their presentation. But it was a golden chance for the ones who spoke in English and who were giving presentation online (from ustream or twitter) got the opportunity to participate in the program.

Six hundred and one youths participated in this program in Sa Falcha café situated in the heart of Kathmandu physically or virtually (i.e. through net television). The number of participants was equal to the number of the member of parliament of the constituent assembly. These are the one who are throwing the future of the country as well as its countrymen in darkness and playing a drama for the ‘election of the prime minister’ and wasting money like anything. Still we young people were present and started our discussion with politics in Nepal and its future and were out bursting with different opinion and were realizing the capacity inside them and feeling proud to be the citizens of Nepal and with one mentality of doing something for Nepal.

With use of internet in rise and exchanging ideas through virtual world started around a decade in the international market with its roots in around 500 cites with its brand name BAR CAMP. The number is increasing with the organizing of this type programs in different cities, with youth raising voice against politics, drugism etc.

It was the second program of BAR CAMP in Kathmandu and no one were in the official attire or were given an official invitation. Information was channelized through facebook, twitter etc around the world. Many came and the ones who could not attend it attended through ustream and many expressed their views by updating their status in facebook and twitter.

With due respect I would like to thank the organizers of BAR CAMP KATHMANDU (Anjan Shrestha,Ankur Sharma,Bibek Paudel,Bibek Shrestha,Jwalanta Shrestha,Prashant Shrestha,Sangita Shrestha,Shankar Pokharel,Saroj Lamichhane,Tushar Neupane) who organized such a wonderful platform for youth like us. These guys who were having coffee in a café came up with the idea of organizing it. Last year this program happened on august 8th with participants not more than one hundred and this year the participation rose up to 6 hundred which made them feel proud and excited with this kind of participation and encouraged them to organize this type of program again and again.

They started updating their status that when are we going to meet again in this manner. As the politicians wished that the days of constituent assembly could be extended which the express through their behavior and many of them have even expressed it just the same way we youth started thinking when are we guys going to meet again. We youth wished that when next time this type of program is organized then many more would attend it. It was not like the meeting of the constituent assembly where one was sleeping and the other one is giving its details about its future program and the youth were showing their outburst not only through their voice but even physically, instead people gave their support to the updates in facebook, twitter etc.

Abhisek singh(@askmeaks) one of the participants liked the idea of Chandan Sapkota “making of Nepal economically sound” had twitted about it in twitter and many of his friends supported him. With the idea “development of Nepal” of Pukar Malla from boston many of them twitted in support of him. Coordinator of Hello Shukrabar, weekly supplement of Kantipur daily, Deepak Adhikari asked for suggestion about the weekly and the audience gave idea of promotion of the villages. Many of them were not in the support of use of English words by me in my column of “Hello Shukrabar” and started twitting the nepali words of it . you can even see it in http://twitter.com/barcampktm.

At that very moment Dinesh Wagle (@wagle) from Delhi said instead of using smileys we can write the nepali translation like for a smile we write :-) instead we can write ‘AA AA’, and whenever he liked anything he wrote ‘AA AA’ and others followed his steps.

Is the Nepal at present is like the same one which we dream it in our dreams. Bibek gave his views saying is it possible having a Nepal of our dreams. Shankar shared his views with the audience what is the value of academic records in Nepal? Hempal shrestha said about “cybercrime in Nepal and it ways of preventing it”. Saunak Bhatta rose the issue “GREEN MAN/WOMEN”, likewise chirag wagdel made the crowd flow in his views about “why art”, Saurav Dhakal made people think just like they do when they read a story about the issue “story cycle”,Abhisek gave techniques about “the ways of celebrating software freedom”, Chakra Karki made the crowd feel guilty from his issue “garbage in everest”, Jwalant’s issue “a thought for food” made the crowd feel hungry and Aakar said about “blogging experience”.( For more discussed topics you can log on to barcamp)

At the end of discussion Shankar (@snkr) twitted saying that 601 attended the program which is equal to the number of MPs of the constituent assembly of Nepal. I can say it proudly and many would support me on this occasion that this program was productive in many ways and many of them shouted in his favor.

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