"A student union works to address the needs of students and fights for their rights," said Lekhnath Pokhrel, a central committee member of Nepal Student Union (NSU). “We want scientific and practical education for students and for the academic calendar to function as it should.” Bhakta Kumari Lama is chief of Publication Department of All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU). Lama, who is studying MA in Political Science at Padma Kanya College, also said that the unions are working to establish an education system that is more practical. “We´re pushing for an education system that is not limited to just theoretical knowledge,” she said.[break]
Yet, students do not seem satisfied with the pledges of the unions. And over the years, the body has turned into a place for the students to seek help when they´re in a tight spot regarding admission to a college.
Ganesh Man Singh Karki, 25, is currently working on his thesis of MA in Anthropology from Tribhuvan University (TU). On the subject of union being helpful, Karki´s opinion is that it´s a two way process. He feels that unions are not always helpful just for the benefit of students. “Mostly, they are helpful to us at the time of admissions like if someone needs a little push to get into a college.”
Of course, they´d then expect your support when it´s election time.
According to Praveen Dhakal, the unions are like political parties that coming forward to help people only during the election time. “If you are in close terms with union members, you can get any kind of support,” he said.
Praveen, a final year student of MA in Journalism at Ratna Rajya College, said he does not trust student unions. The unions have their own agendas, and it is unlikely that they´d ever work for students selflessly. “What can one expect from them when have not been able to ensure even the basic needs? If they were working in the interest of students, our classes would be running smoothly,” he said.
Ganesh agreed and added, “The teachers of the TU are mostly away from the classroom when they´re supposed to be teaching. I don´t see what the unions have done to change that situation.”
Bhakta Kumari said that teacher absenteeism is a long standing problem at the university. She said, “We´ve been working to improve that situation for many years. When teachers shirk their duties and responsibilities, our first step is to talk to them. We verify whether the take down the attendance of students regularly. If the problem persists, we file a complaint against them with the administration and then follow up. Still, we know that there are some teachers who maintain their indifference. ”
The unions often organize trainings and other programs for the benefit of the students. NSU recently organized courses on emceeing and public speaking at Public Youth College and arranged a training program for the students of journalism at Ratna Rajya College.
ANNFSU´s Pragatisheel Adhyan Kendra holds regular conferences in which around 150 students gather to discuss ideals of Marxism and Feminism. The conferences are held many times a year, mainly during holidays when students have time to participate in the discussions.
Pokhrel says, “During admission time, all student unions set up their own help desks to answer any queries new students might have and also to establish intimacy with them.”
“They do it to win the support of new students for their unions,” Praveen put it bluntly.
Ganga Bahadur Thapa Magar, executive director of Student Welfare and Sports Directorate at Tribhuvan University, pointed out some of the most important things the unions need to focus on. “They need to ensure that classes are held regularly, encourage students to participate in extracurricular activities and meet regularly with the management to create healthy environment in the campus. Regular counseling for students is equally important and the unions should add that to their to-do list,” he said.
The fee hike is one of the recent problems being taken up by the unions. Private colleges spend a lot of money on advertisements right before each academic session and then try to get their investment back through steep fees. They use international courses to attract students but fail to justify the merit of the course later, said Pokhrel.
The students and their guardians would have no problem if the colleges offered quality education that justifies the higher fee.
TU has also recently increased its fees by 10% and the unions are still protesting the hike. However, Praveen feels that the unions take up such causes so that they can take credit for any positive change.
“If it wants to increase fees, the university should hold a proper meeting with teachers, members of the administration and students, where everybody can discuss whether what is being offered justifies the hike in the fees,” he said.
“Sometimes we have to take extreme measures to make sure that students have favorable environment to study,” Pokhrel said. Similarly, Bhakta Kumari agreed that protests make life uncomfortable for many people. "But it has to be seen as a necessary evil in the process of change," she added.
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