“I was financially independent as soon as I completed my SLC exams. Though I never left my studies, I was never a fulltime student after that,” he says. He is currently pursuing his MA in English literature at the Institute of Advanced Communication, Education and Research (IACER).
From his residence at Gongabu, he travels to Baneshwor Height to attend his classes that start at six in the morning. And fifteen minutes before the last class ends at nine, he excuses himself from the class and rushes to his work which needs him to travel to different 10+2 colleges at Naya Baneshwor, Maharajgunj and Basundhara.
“There’s no head space at all. Once I’m home, in addition to preparing myself for the classes the next day, I need to complete my own assignments,” he says. He adds that he was aware that he would be facing such pressure when he decided to enroll himself in college. “But it was a necessary decision to upgrade my studies,” he says.
The trend of colleges offering morning and evening classes has been a boon to part-time learners like Lohani. Many office-goers find it convenient to take classes during those times as they will need to fulfill their responsibilities at their respective workplaces during the regular working hours.[break]
Ramita Dangol, 24, also attends morning classes at Patan Multiple Campus pursuing her Masters Degree in Major English. Like Lohani, she has also been taking her work and studies side by side since she completed her SLC.
“My father always emphasized on being independent and we were always encouraged to gain practical knowledge outside of books,” she says. She adds that she has no regrets for not being able to be a full-time student; instead, she says that she has gained a lot of experience in working and studying simultaneously.
But she clarifies that she has no intention to neglect her studies. She says that she is equally enthusiastic about going to her classes as much as she loves her work.
“But I’ve experienced that I’m privileged in the sense that since I’m assisting with the family business and not working under anyone else, I have legroom to prioritize studies or work according to my convenience,” she says.
She shares her experience of working for a media house when she was a fresh 10+2 graduate. “Working under deadlines and always being under some sort of stress, it wasn’t a very good experience. Those days, I couldn’t even focus on my studies, there was hardly any time,” she says.
But she didn’t give up just yet. “I had to be employed because I wanted to know the real picture of getting out there and dealing with problems and issues that we merely read in books,” she says.
While Dangol emphasized on working and studying at the same time to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practicalities of working environment, many part-time learners decide to go back to school after they feel the need of specific academic qualifications or theoretical knowledge to steer up their career.
Most of these part-time learners who pursue higher education after attaining physical maturity face the challenge to juggle between their family obligations, work responsibilities and education.
Many colleges have designed certain courses to fulfill the need of such candidates. The Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) program is one of the courses that are offered to professionals by the business schools in capital. This program requires students to spend lesser time in the classroom than their full-time counterparts.
Suresh Agrawal, Managing Director of Nepal Oil Corporation, says that pursuing EMBA was the turning point of his life. Though it has been a decade since he graduated, he still feels that it was one of the hectic as well as worthy times of his life.
He credits the program for boosting his career and adds that he would not have been successful if had not taken up the course, regardless of the ardent challenges.
“Those days, apart from being the deputy director of NOC, I was involved in many other organizations. When I look back now, it was unimaginable how I had managed my time,” he says. He adds that his family and social life was in jeopardy during that time.
“But I’m very proud of my decision as I think it was the right time to take up the course, even though I was the senior citizen in my class,” he says as he shares a light moment.
Education and experience go hand in hand for a successful career. While people like Agrawal may go back to college as per the need of their career and profession, young people like Dangol carry out their work and studies simultaneously to gain much within the certain time frame. Many also decide to be part-time students to support themselves due to lack of resources for their further education.
The subject of properly accommodating the requirements of part-time learners in the education system is drawing worldwide debate. Though there are many courses and colleges that are offering flexible courses to part-time learners in the capital, it is still like putting your feet in different boats. But the quest and pursuit continue with those contenders who dare and are driven.
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