Maoists sell `revolutionary dreams’ to young students
As Maoist leaders were making fiery speeches from the Open Air Theatre (Tundikhel) on Monday, Nepalnews spoke to some of the students — brought in packed buses to take part in the 17 th national convention of the Maoist-affiliated All Nepal National Independent Student Union (Revolutionary)—on what did they understand about the Maoist rhetoric and their own ambitions and aspirations.
“We don’t want bourgeoisie education. Education should be equal to all. Some study in palace-like buildings, others in open ground. Our school should be like theirs or they should come to our level,” a Grade X student of Mahendra Secondary School , Sanga of Kavre—who introduced himself as Bijay Kumar– told us.
Bijay, 16, said he was an active member of the ANNISU (R) for the last one-and-half years. He repeatedly stressed that there should be ‘scientific education system’ in the country and in his opinion this would be possible only when Maoists came to power and Nepal became a ‘democratic republic’.
When asked what did he mean by democratic republic, he looked a little bit confused. A smart guy, he came up with instant reply: “When education becomes equal for all’.
The desire of change in education system expressed by Bijay was hardly expressed by the student leaders in the stage during the inauguration ceremony ANNISU (R) national convention in the capital.
A boy, who looked like 13 from Banibilas Secondary School, Chapagaon said he came with friends with the hope that he would be able to see the city and the king. “I came here with my own interest. Nobody has forced me,” he said boldly.
The speakers at the inaugural session, on their part, advocated for democratic republic and political restructuring of the state. However, the audience who were students mostly of secondary and lower secondary level, rarely gave attention to what the leaders said. Their attention is drawn to the stage when the cultural groups perform dances or acting. One such dance showed young students brandishing `khukuri’ ( a kind of knife) and calling upon all to join them in the revolution.
The number of buses that dropped students from neighbouring districts of Kathmandu to Ratnapark on Monday outnumbered those which carried people during similar conventions of Maoist-affiliated trade union and women’s association. But the number of audience on the sprawling ground was half of what it was during the meetings of those groups. For most of the students chose to see bazaar, shopping centres and have a look of Singha Durbar instead of staying back listening to fiery speeches.
Thousands of students were ferried to Kathmandu on Monday, some on their own while many others forcefully, according to reports. Vice president of ANNISU(R) unit at the Advanced Engineering College, Kopundole in Lalitpur district, however, refuted reports that they had forced school administration or students to participate in the programme.
“We want that students learn about national politics rather than going through reactionary text books. Since the education system of any country is based on the political ideology of the ruling party, students must know about political ideologies of all the national parties,” he added.
Selling communist books and CD cassettes that glorified the 10-year long Maoist people’s war and collecting donations for ‘social activities’ were other businesses being carried out alongside the speeches. Red flags not only covered the walls and fences around ‘Khula Munch’ but also heads of many young students. Despite the fact that most of the students had rarely heard about communist ideology, they joined others to applaud speakers at regular intervals.
While the Maoist war was going on, Maoist affiliated students worked as contacts to raise “donations” from private schools and target school properties if the owners failed to oblige them. After the announcement of ceasefire some four months back, the ANNISU (R) launched a campaign opening its branches in most of the government schools and private colleges. Though legal provisions bar establishment of student unions in the schools, the government has kept mum to the drive of the Maoist-affiliated student body so far.
Even before the conclusion of the programmes, young students could be seen rushing to find the buses that ferried them to Kathmandu. The boy from Chapagaon must have been disappointed for failing to see the king as student leaders professed to turn Nepal into a republic.
Published in Nepalnews.com