Every year, November 17 is celebrated as World Students Day across the globe. This day is a global celebration for students across the world. Students are the building blocks of the country; they are the future of a nation. So, this day is an ode to the students. World Students’ Day is a platform for different organizations and individuals to aware public about the importance of education.

Education of government colleges in Nepal is affected due to unstable politics while the number of students opting for foreign countries for higher education is increasing year by year. A student not only means those who visit college on a daily basis or those who are bibliophilic, but students are those who are in the learning phase of their life.  

So to know the public view on Nepal’s education system, Aditya Neupane from My City interviewed a few students and listed below are the edited excerptions of their conversation.    

International Students' Day

The International Students' Day is the only worldwide celebrated international day of Czech origin. The 17th of November has been marked worldwide as the International Students' Day since 1941. Nowadays, many universities celebrate it as a day of multiculturalism of their international students, sometimes even on different dates.

Originally though, the International Students' Day had a different meaning. On October 28, 1939 the Nazis suppressed a demonstration against the regime organized by medical students of the Charles University. The date wasn't chosen by coincidence, it commemorated the anniversary of the independence of the Czechoslovak Republic (that no longer existed by the time and instead of which the Nazis established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and Slovak Republic) in 1918. One worker, Václav Sedláček and one student, Jan Opletal, were shot during the demonstration.

Sedláček died instantly, Opletal died in a hospital a few days later. Opletal's funeral which was held on the November 15 was attended by thousands of students and turned into another massive demonstration. The Nazis reacted fast by closing all Czech universities in the Protectorate, arrested and sent to concentration camps more than 1,200 students and executed nine students and professors without trial, all on the November 17.

Therefore, in 1941, November 17th was declared International Students Day by the International Students Council in London which consised of many refugees. The International Students Council later became the founding stone of the International Union of Students, IUS, that was founded on August 27, 1946, in Prague.

Fifty years later, on 17 November 1989, the Czechoslovakian students rose up against another oppressing and non-democratic government and organized a mass demonstration during originally peaceful celebrations of the International Students' Day. Their actions triggered the beginning of the velvet revolution which ended by the fall of the communist regime.

During the both incidents, the students showed a tremendous deal of courage that should never be forgotten. The November 17 th is a day when world commemorate their legacy and remind not to be passive. 

Rabina Khanal- Grade IX student at Mangal Children Academy 

I am an average student and I am not a bibliophile. I love student life because it provides us with the opportunity to catch up with friends. I don’t think it is good to say that Nepali education is not good or foreign degree is better than Nepali degree because we have many professional workers in different fields with a Nepali degree. Apart from student life, I am interested to be an artist, I just love the glamour world so I have started following my passion as dancing is my hobby. As I have an aim to be an actress and Nikita Chandak is my idol. I am planning to continue my hobby and education side by side after Grade X. 

Janu Rai-Plus two student at Kankai Education Foundation

I am not so good in my studies so I want to pursue my career in hotel management. I don’t think only regular students or people with good degree can be called diligent students, but I believe all those who are learning should be called students. I am a hotel management student so I want to go for coffee making or barista training and pursue my career as barista. I want to open my own coffee stall in the next five years and want to continue my education in hotel management.

Sanket Shrestha-CA student at International College of Provincial Accounting

CA was my dream and I am following my dream. We don’t have many CA colleges in Nepal so we have to pursue our graduation from foreign institutes. I think there should not be any restriction in teaching because anybody can learn anything. I am a CA student and I have different kinds of hobbies which I can develop into a career. For example I am interested in painting, singing and dancing. Many students commit suicide due to family and teachers’ pressure so I think one should not be forced to get higher marks in exams. 

Divya Shrestha-Plus two student at Shree Paach Mahendra Janta Secondary School

I am an average student, but apart from studying I am interested to be a makeup artist. I was passionate about becoming an artist since my childhood, so I have joined makeup training classes to be a makeup artist. I want to go for foreign studies because there is a huge difference between Nepali and foreign degree. Lemi is my ideal. I think there is a good scope for makeup artists in Nepali, so I want to pursue my career as a beautician and open my own beauty parlor. 

Bimochan Shrestha-Bachelor’s 4th year student at Tri-Chandra Multiple College

I am good in my studies and I am planning to pursue my master’s degree in Australia. Australia is not my dream, but I want to go there for better education. I am a student of a government college and I think government colleges are affected by politics as well as negligence of staff, due to which many students fail to get better quality education. Apart from microbiology, I am interested in singing and body building, so I have joined gym classes. Education does not only mean going to school or listening to lectures, but everything you learn is called education. Right now, I am focusing on my studies, and I will continue my hobby of body building after the completion of my bachelor’s degree.