Irrelevance of Basic School Education in Nepal: An Anti-Colonial Critique on Problems and Prospects

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v13i0.24032

Keywords:

school education, anti-colonial lens, rural/indigenous identities

Abstract

Despite its contextual, theoretical, and practical relevance, contextualized teaching and learning has not been the priority of school education of Nepal. The policy provision of local curriculum and the use of locally available resources for teaching and learning have continuously lost its position in educational circle. To this background, taking anti-colonial critical stance, this paper analyses problems and prospects of contextualized teaching and learning in school education of Nepal. Taking evidences from the first author's lived experiences, and experiences from a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project in a public school of Nepal, the paper exposes manifold challenges and dilemmas initiated by Western-modern educational ideologies, and promptly illustrates how those uncritically imposed/accepted schooling agendas were responsible to demolish rural (and indigenous) identities of Nepal. The paper eventually proposes policy makers and curriculum practitioners of Nepal to pursue agency in school education, making it more place-relevant; enabling school graduates to learn to ‘live’ (rather than ‘leave’) their place.

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Author Biographies

Shree Krishna Wagle, Kathmandu University

Shree Krishna Wagle is a PhD research fellow at Kathmandu University, School of Education, Nepal. MPhil graduate in educational leadership, Shree particularly makes research studies in the field related to educational philosophy, learning psychology, and ecological spirituality in education. At present, evidenced from a case of participatory action research project from public school of rural Nepal, together with Parbati Dhungana and colleagues at KUSOED, Shree is exploring possibilities for participatory approaches to contextualized teaching and learning.
Email: seerishakrill@yahoo.com

Bal Chandra Luitel, Kathmandu University

Bal Chandra Luitel, PhD, (2009) is a Professor of Mathematics Education at Kathmandu University. He leads transformative educational research group at Kathmandu University, School of Education. Subscribing to multiple epistemic metaphors, Bal’s research aims at developing a transformative philosophy of education in Nepal. He has published articles including Luitel, B.C. (2018), a mindful inquiry towards transformative curriculum vision for inclusive mathematics education.
Email: bcluitel@kusoed.edu.np

Erling Krogh, Norwegian University of Life Sciences. In Norway

Erling Krogh, PhD, is a Professor at Section for Learning and Teacher Education at Norwegian University of Life Sciences. In Norway, he has coordinated national projects on cooperation between primary schools and farmers, using the farm as a learning arena, and on development of school gardens. Since 2011, together with Sigrid Gjøtterud and colleagues from Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania, he has focused on and published from participatory action research in Tanzania. Currently, he is cooperating with colleagues at Kathmandu University on similar projects.
Email: Erling.krogh@nmbu.no

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Published

2019-12-29

How to Cite

Wagle, S. K., Luitel, B. C., & Krogh, E. (2019). Irrelevance of Basic School Education in Nepal: An Anti-Colonial Critique on Problems and Prospects. Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 13, 31–39. https://doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v13i0.24032

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Articles