Students, who don’t have to attend school because of the strike, find the idea appealing if it happens once in a while to get away from the daily drags and a change in their drab schedule.
“I love Nepal banda once in a while as I get a break from the tedious routine that I have to follow in my daily life,” shares Shubhashree Basnyat, a Grade 9 student at St Mary’s High School, adding, “That one day, I can just relax unlike other times when my mind is overstretched with completing my homework to revising whatever I’m taught at school and also managing to catch up with my favorite shows on TV.”
Roshesh Bhandari, 13, of DAV Sushil Kedia Bishwa Bharati Secondary School informs that the rumors of Nepal banda itself makes him euphoric and he starts planning for the games to play and the shows to watch for the other day, contrary to the normal days in which he has to complete homework after coming home in the evening. “That’s a special day for me,” echoes Roshesh.
On the other hand, higher-level students feel that winding down of everything during the strike thwarts them from finishing their curriculum on time, and the price for which is exorbitant, their future being at stake.
Surinita Maharjan, a recent graduate from Shanker Dev College, said that her college remained closed for 15 days because of a prolonged strike right before their board exam which jeopardized her results.
“There were some portions of Economics and Mathematics that couldn’t be covered because of the closure, and we ended up getting many questions from them which ruined my results in the two subjects,” complains Surinita.
Another supporter of this argument, Sandesh Mainali, an undergraduate student at Kathmandu College of Management, expresses his dissatisfaction over the significant effects of these bandas on a student’s life and expresses that he is happy with all the holidays that he gets these days now that Nepal is a secular state but getting an extra day off during a banda does not fancy him as violence takes over the city.
“The concept of banda is very unproductive. The ones who are fond of making our nation stagnant should suffer from paralysis themselves, and then will they understand the pains that we students face,” shares Mainali.
The institutions which take the responsibility of a child’s future are the ones who are the most affected by these frequent strikes.
“Nowadays people are bringing a halt to the day activities of the city for all possible reasons. It has an adverse effect on the institution because we don’t complete the course on schedule, so we have to take compensating classes on Saturdays or any other public holidays,” says Dr. Shekhar Gurung, Principal of NASA International College.
Furthermore, every guardian who pictures her children of doing something remarkable in the future is also dismayed by the notion of “strikes.” Because of the frequencies of the strikes, they are afraid their children may not be able to perform their potentials, and thus, many send them abroad to study in hassle-free environments.
“People declare a strike here for any number of reasons and I don’t think it’s a wise way of dealing with the problems as it doesn’t do anybody any good. There’s nothing wrong with the education system in our country; it’s the political climate that’s bringing in issues. As a parent, I would want my child to ace, and I believe environment plays a vital role in shaping a person, so I sent my daughter to India,” shares Suresh Kumar Regmi, father of Surabhi Regmi.
However, Regmi was quick to add that if the political situation gets better, he would be more than willing to bring his daughter back to Nepal.
Recollecting the past, we have accommodated to the strikes that take place time and again, but that doesn’t mean we, as citizens, have accepted it. Many students are leaving the country for better opportunities because Nepal is becoming a land of uncertainties. Nevertheless, the hope for a better Nepal, the end of the political deadlocks in the near future and an economy that will not have to suffer from brain drain remains.
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