Over the top

By Erik Wilson

Image: Flickr user aNantaB, CC license

Over evening khana on my most recent trip to Nepal I listened as a friend expressed his concern regarding the study habits and priorities of his young nieces and nephews. Members of what he deemed the ‘Facebook and Twitter Generation’, their sights seem to be set more on motorbikes and cosmopolitan material comforts than studying or creating a plan for their futures. He, along with others I’ve talked to, are concerned about the future of Nepal due in no small part to the increasingly outward and international aspirations of many in the younger generations. Unlike in Western countries, he laments, the only social safety net in Nepal ‘is the Gulf’, referring to the exodus of Nepali youth seeking employment in the Middle East. How is Nepal to prosper and develop when the youth are perceived to be disinterested?

If there is any doubt as to the desires of today’s Nepali youth, one only needs to stroll past the passport office where, day after day, rain or shine, the queues are overflowing with people waiting for their travel documents to be processed. If you’re still not convinced, head over to the American embassy around mid-morning and check out the crowds that gather outside the fence and across the street waiting for visas.

Stories of undisciplined teenagers with misplaced priorities in search of an easy way out are a dime a dozen, and not only in Nepal. So instead of reflecting on this somewhat universal truth, consider for a moment another factor that might contribute to this contemporary ambivalence and resultant ‘brain drain’ – education.

The spring of 2010 found me in Bajura district working with an organization that reunites trafficked children with their families. A colleague and I were conducting observations at a local boarding school and were asked to sit in on a level 10 English class.  Upon discovering my US background the teacher proceeded to inform his students that I would impart to them the critical importance of learning English. However, the Sir didn’t stop there, going on to tell his students that Nepal is a terribly backwards country, that the West is an unequivocally better place and that they as students need to adopt Western ways if they hope to achieve anything in this life.

The teacher was, in his own way, echoing sentiments that I have heard many times before. Be it the taxi driver who talked about how bad the traffic and culture is or students at other schools that said to me “our schools are very bad, yes sir?” – they all speak to a certain engrained negativity. Discussed once, such an idea will vanish, but discussed endlessly, such an idea will transform a society. Take the American counterpoint as an example. From an early age children are told that America is the greatest country on Earth and that many aspects of our nation and culture have far-reaching influence. Granted, holding our country in this high regard seems to have bred a certain questionable hubris, but at the same time it contributes to Americans staying in America.

In much the same way, Nepalese youth are a product of their upbringing. Writing them off as disinterested is of little value. When I hear members of older generations discussing today’s youth and their lack of motivation or interest in Nepal, I want to stop and point out that an enculturation and schooling based on the negatives and difficulties of life in Nepal can only be expected to produce these results. Instead people should be asking why. Why are they disinterested? Why aren’t they serious? Why do they want to leave Nepal? Only when these questions are answered or discussed in an open fashion can there be progress.