All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union (ANNISU, Revolutionary), the student wing of the CPN Maoist Centre, on August 17, formed a political committee at Panchayan Secondary School of Dhurkot rural municipality in Gulmi. The students involved in the committee were made to participate in a tree plantation programme with a banner of the organisation.
Rajan KC, district president of ANNISU, says that the school committee is being formed under the Maoist campaign Janata Sanga Maobadi (Maoist with the public).
“Students should be aware of politics. They should raise their voice about the affairs happening in the country,” says KC. “So we are forming committees in schools.”
Nepal Student Union, the student wing of the Nepali Congress in its statute has mentioned that one must first hold the position of the president of the student unit in order to be eligible for the presidency of the union.
To address the provision, the political committee is being formed in different schools of the Dang district, says Kulraj Pokharel, NSU Dang president. “The school unit works for the rights of the students and quality of education. It does not perform any kind of political activities.”
Akin to students of Maoist Centre and NC, the student wing of CPN-UML is also forming their committee in different schools. All Nepal National Free Students Union (UML), the student wing of CPN-UML have recently decided to form a school committee of grades 8 to 12, all over Dolakha.
Jip Chhiring Lama, immediate past president of ANNFSU says that the decision to form a student committee in schools is made according to the statute of an organisation.
“Besides educational issues, students should also be informed about social and political issues and for that there is a need to form a committee,” says Lama.
The three examples mentioned above clearly indicate that student unions affiliated with political parties are establishing political committees within schools. Despite political parties declaring schools as peace zones, this situation continues to raise questions about the integrity of schools in Nepal. Amidst this, stakeholders and educators have expressed concerns regarding the committees formed by political student organisations within educational institutions.
Concern political committees at school
After extensive discussions regarding the peace zone proposal, political parties, educators, student organisations, and various stakeholders were consulted, and their consent was taken before the formation of the political committees.
After the declaration of schools as peace zones; the essential guidelines for their implementation have been formulated, and outlined in the School Peace Zone National Framework and Implementation Guidelines, 2011.
This directive has three main objectives. Firstly, to keep the school free from armed activities and other violence. Secondly, to keep it free from party politics and other interference and lastly to keep it free from discrimination, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Moreover, educationalist Bidya Nath Koirala says that it is painful to see that political parties are creating an unhealthy environment in schools.
“It is a bad practice of political parties to make the school student their cadre,” says Koirala.
Likewise, according to Ram Prasad Neupane, president of the Guardian Association of Community Schools, political parties can not make school students involved in political activity because the law has stated grades 9 to 12 as a secondary level.
“Once the political parties enter school it will start showing its effect. So they should be prohibited from entering school,” says Neupane.
He further urged political parties to strictly stop forming committees in schools.
“The intention of those committees is to make the students cadres of political parties rather than critical thinkers”, he says.
After facing criticism, student leaders, however, are falsely claiming that they are forming a committee for students in grades 11 and 12, asserting that those below grade 10 are still within the peace zone.
That said, the student leaders openly admit that they are dissatisfied with the decision to include grades 11 and 12 at the secondary level, a decision that was made in 2017.
“When the schools were designated as peace zones, the secondary level comprised up to class 10. Classes 11 and 12 were considered part of higher education. Since 2017, classes up to 12 were incorporated into the school level, but we haven’t altered our policy,” says Narayan Gharti vice president of ANNFSU.
Gharti says that their party’s statute explicitly prohibits the formation of political committees comprising students studying below grade 10.
“We do not form a committee of students studying below grade 10,” says Magar.
Similarly, Naresh Regmi, vice president of ANNISU also agrees with Gharti and says, “At the age of 16, when students reach grade 10, they are eligible to obtain citizenship, which underscores the importance of raising political awareness among them.”
President of NSU, Dujang Sherpa, also asserts that their parties have not taken any actions against the concept of Schools as Zones of Peace. On September 7, ANNFSU formed an 11-member committee at Maneydanda Secondary School in Gauri Shankar rural municipality-2, Dolakha. The president of the committee is Bishal Karki a grade 10 student.
In Panchayan Secondary School of Gulmi, ANNISU established a committee consisting of students from grades 9 to 12. Sushil Chhetri, a grade 10 student is heading the political committee.
Continuation of Panchayat practice
Stakeholders say that political activities conducted by student organisations in defiance of the school peace zone declaration represent a continuation of practices reminiscent of the Panchayat era.
After the Panchayat banned the parties, the leaders went to the schools and began mobilising students politically. Tanka Karki, former president of ANNFSU, says that the formation of committees was implemented as a means to raise students’ awareness about the oppressive nature of the Panchayat regime
“Due to the necessity of the situation at that time, the society also easily accepted the politics in the school,” says Karki.
However, time has changed due to which Karki believes that society is reacting to the political activities at the school level. Even he himself does not see the need for political committees at the school level.
“Now there is no restriction for political parties, they are active enough. Children should not be dragged into politics,” says Karki.
Likewise, Ramkumari Jhankri, former president of ANNFSU, also says that student organisations should not be run in the traditional way. However, it does not mean that they should be dormant.
“Like earlier they should not be made to participate in rallies and protests to make those events look huge,” says Jhakri.
Laxmi Khatiwada, the former leader of NSU says that the politics has not just affected the school level but the entire education sector.
“Due to the interference of political parties, the university has reached such a worse state. Now the entire education sector should be made free from the interference of political parties,” says Khatiwada.
This story was translated from the original Nepali version and edited for clarity and length.
