NEB Grade XI Compulsory English Note | Language Development | Unit-1 Education First (Part-2)

Unit: 1

Education First

Critical thinking

a. All children have the right to quality education. How can we ensure this right to every child? Discuss the role of the government and the parents to make sure that every child can attend school.

Children are the future of the nation. Until they get quality education the country can’t progress. Our constitution has guaranteed education as the fundamental right of every child, which includes right to access to education and right to free education up to the secondary level. A large number of children in our country are still deprived of this fundamental right. The government and the parents together should work to ensure that children go to school, receive a good quality education, and learn the skills they will need to grow in the 21st century.

Each school requires a safe, friendly environment,and qualified and motivated teachers for quality learning. However, most of the schools in rural areas can’t manage good physical infrastructure,andt eaching and non-teaching staff, arranging sufficient financial resources. The government should act towards empowering school leaders and teachers towards professional responsibility, set standards and support them wholly in search of delivering quality learning prospects for the learners.

It is the duty of parents to fulfill the basic needs of their children. They don’t send their children to school and say that they are the victim of poverty though education is free of charge. Instead, they are ready for spending their earnings on unnecessary things. They can provide at least basic learning materials and create pleasant learning atmosphere at home. The children should be encouraged to learn new things every day. The role of parents is not confined to their home but involvement in school activities, too.

b. Do you think that there is still discrimination between sons and daughters in terms of providing education in our country? What strategies do you suggest to overcome such discrimination against girls?

There is still discrimination between sons and daughters in terms of providing education in our country. Gender is the strongest factor of school participation among rural youths in Nepal. Girls are more likely to obtain less years of schooling than boys because their parents consider their children's preparation for their adult marital roles differently based on gender. Girls are supposed to leave their families for their husbands after marriage. Our cultural traditions expect more domestic work to be fulfilled by girls rather than boys. High priority to boys' education is also ascribed to the fact that girls have less time to do school work in order to complete their household chores. Child marriage and poverty mainly cause high drop-out rates for girls. Therefore, young girls don’t get receive formal education.

To overcome the aforementioned discrimination various strategies can be adopted. The workload of girls should be eased at home. Special arrangements should be made for girls in every sphere like library, canteen, playground and the like. Girls’ secondary education initiatives should be prioritized. Schools should be girl friendly and located closer to children’s homes. The government should establish necessary agencies for creating public consciousness for girl’s education. Teachers are required to be gender aware.

c. A Chinese philosopher Confucius said, “If your plan is for one year, plant rice; if your plan is for ten years, plant trees; if your plan is for one hundred years, educate children.” What is the meaning of this saying? Elaborate this with examples.

The sole meaning of the saying is that our goals decide what our actions need to be. If we have short term goals, then short term actions are expected. If we have long term goals, our actions take longer to come to fruition but they will be different. For example, if we know where we want to go and how long it needs to take to get there, the road we take, our means of transportation and who and what we take along with us become clear.

The statement carries the message of the importance of education for prosperity of the society, too. Education plays a crucial role in developments and imparts various skills, values, and awareness. It is responsible for shaping a person. In the long term, education secures greater benefits. Educated children today will develop a very civilized and moral society tomorrow. Children should be provided with the best possible education as an investment which will only benefit the whole society in the future.

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