The Future of Education
Multilingualism and Sustainable Development in Nepal
Pushker Kadel, Language Development Centre (Nepal)
Ambika Paudel, Help Society (Nepal)
Abstract
This paper reviews the background to education and language policies addressing minority language use in basic education in Nepal. The new 2015 Constitution states that every Nepali community in Nepal has right to education up to the secondary level in their mother tongue and start and operate schools and educational institutions as provided in the law. Over half of all Nepalese do not speak Nepali as their first language (Census 2011).
The Sustainable Development Goal 4 & 16 supports Multilingual Education when they say.
Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
"Languages are a key factor to provide quality education for all and address major challenge of SDG 16, which deal with good governance and to have development in the nation through education. (P. Kadel, 27/01/2017)
This paper will make recommendations based upon the reported outcomes of the existing Multilingual Education projects. This includes the author’s own experience working with two different language speaking communities that support Multilingual Education projects in primary schools in Dangaura Tharu in Dang District and Limbu in Panchthar District.
We are not poor but our vision, leadership, management skills and tolerance to power is weak. An inclusive quality multilingual education system is capable of overcoming these issues. Quality education matters for quality development.
1,334,195 students were enrolled in grade one (2008) and only 538,182 (40.34%) students are appeared in Secondary Education Exam (2017). The data proves that 796,013 (59.66%) students were dropout from school education system (SES) in last ten years. Because the SES is unable to ensure quality education for all. So, the future of education must have vision, clear definition and goals of education for the nation.
