“Teaching is the most prestigious job in the world. It’s a privilege to have the title as a teacher,” says Minshaw who is currently in Nepal as an international education consultant at the British College in Thapathali, Kathmandu.
Minshaw talks to Republica about the British education system and the perks of having the facility of getting a British degree from Nepal.
Please give us the background on the British education system.
Even though all British universities are government universities, they operate independently. Universities decide on the degrees they want to teach and the research they want to undertake but they are financed partly from the government and partly by other funding bodies. While there’s no official ranking system for British Universities, there are, however, magazines and newspapers that have decided to give universities ranking based on their own criteria. This is in no way official.
There’s an autonomous body that checks the quality of all British universities and all British universities whether in the UK or other countries have to meet the requirements set by the quality assessment body.
What makes British education system stand out?
I strongly believe that British education has a high status around the world. The motto of British education is developing students’ independence. The system places great importance on the role of teachers in that teachers are supposed to evoke interest, excite and direct students through lectures, seminars and workshops. But they’re not supposed to give students enough information to pass an exam. This means that the system places huge responsibility on the students for their self-learning. There’s a lot of freedom for the students but with freedom, also comes responsibility.
In the end there’s the absolute guarantee that if students meet the assessment criteria they will pass. Or else, they’ll fail. One cannot simply persuade, cajole or buy results.
What challenges do you foresee in implementing that sort of education system in Nepal?
From what I’ve seen, Nepal is a country of ongoing contrasts. What’s good about the culture here is that everybody here seems to treat each other well.
However, the atmosphere in Nepal is a bit casual in terms of time. This can be a challenge. Also, there might be a difference in the expectation of people with regard to the teacher’s role. In the British system, a learner cannot be passive. Students have to take the responsibility of self-study.
Whatever the challenges, I believe that the UK system shouldn’t destroy the social culture that’s here in Nepal. There shouldn’t be an educational colonization. Rather, a new education culture, which sits alongside the existing social culture, has to be developed.
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