Where There is a Wheel There is a Way...

Where there is a Wheel, There is a Way…….

It was strange for me to know about the philosophy about a wheel. Wheel, a mere wheel, holds continuous philosophical background and a source of inspiration. And yes, the philosophy is ethical and logical as well. The two inventions of human kind, Vote in Politics and Wheel in Physics, have dramatically changed mankind living style and behaviours. Out of these two, here I talk about the wheel, its dynamism, marvelous history, and above all Pangrello Movement in Nepal. Of course the wheel associates vote in parallel manner.
Directly or indirectly wheel holds importance in our life. It's simply impossible to imagine life without wheel, wheel used in vehicles, wheel used in your bi-cycles, wheel used in fans, computers to the mixer grinder in your kitchen. Its usage is universal. In the world we live everything are scheduled in wheel. Your daily activities, the life time wheel (cycle), the natural (cycles) and all. Even our body cells function in wheel. The list goes long. The prosperity of human being from a wild to civilized, wheel has encountered as a major tool and thus wheel holds inevitable relations to everything that we come across. The proximity thus wheel shows to its dimension navigates its universal acceptance. The uniformity and variability is conjugal; intend to fit in all cosmic process into wheel as well. It's always the wheel dynamism that always worked as mediator for humans lethargy efforts. The cosmos provides great instance of wheel importance and thus followed in every steps. It is a tonality for human being, in many senses. The cosmic wheels of planetary and atomic motion define the building blocks of physical and natural life as well and the impossibility of life if these wheels stop. A wheel in itself is just a wheel but in a combination is a vehicle to take human from a bipedal being to a multi-pedal being advanced, swifter and faster than the ancient human. This is essence defines Pangre School of Thought and we don’t just need a wheel but many wheels for transcendence. Thus the wheel should run smooth, in its all features, for continuation of human civilization.
Back in January of 2009, some youths of in Kathmandu realized the potential of wheel and its dynamism. The day was one of the schedules of Nepalese politics and strike 'Banda' was called. This gave sufficient reason to seize the motion of wheel. The youths thus planned to go with the motion of wheel and started rotating the free wheels of vehicles (collected from garage and service centers) in order to continue the wheel dynamism ironically. This was the initiation of movement and thus started Pangrello Movement of Nepal (Pangra- typical Nepali word meaning wheel) for the continuation of wheel dynamics and thus an informal group started and named as Pangre School of Thought. Since then regular events had been carried out for the smooth run of Pangra and along with philosophical discussions go parallel. We accept all our supporters to be members of the school.
With the continuation of movement, the campaigners faced many obstacles. I remember the weeklong strike "Nepal Bandh" called by Maoist in May this year. After the realization that Nepal Bandha is a complex social anarchy, not just means of repression, it must be understood as a hegemonic political strategy like other strategies of politics and domination. However in any sense or such the domination will lead to seize the motion of wheel. General strike is a regressive nationalism that drags nation to a century back. The culture of silence is not always the culture of acceptance and for this realization the school of thought publicized to organize one event where the campaigners tried to rotate wheels in the roads of Baneswor, Kathmandu. The event was ironic dissemination of dissatisfaction and disagreement to the culture of stopping movement of wheel- Pangras. The event was then badly disturbed by Maoist cadres and some of the campaigners were pampered and arrested by cadres. These disturbances provided fuel to the enthusiasm to the movement and movement started using various networks and outreaches to disseminate its philosophy throughout the globe. The philosophy is getting its way to be popular and a clear way is now seen there is solution for every problem but should track right ways. The right ways and for right ways there stands always wheel- so, where there is a wheel there is a way.

Some relevance to universal principles and values that Pangrello seek mutualism:
Only stable and static observer in a slower or faster rotation can see another wheel rotating. Two observers on two different wheels with same rotation speed see each other stable and static. Pangrello believes in transcending into stable and static ideological grounds for the society like same motion wheels for non-violent creative revolution but also with the rotation for social transcend.
Where there is Pangrello, there is always change. Pangrello supports the transformative side of our existence, moment to moment.
A football if seen geometrically is also a combination of small and large wheels and brings the world together with the passions and emotions implying a social transcendence in progress.
Blessed are those who talk in circles, for they shall become a big wheel. The wheel not of ignorance but of great wisdom and intellectual innovations where wheel exists there is a solidification, unity and equality and what not?

Nepal's way towards EFA

The globe is now busy to talk on Millennium Development Goals that are to be achieved by 2015. The goals focus on various aspects of different eight problems that have been matter of headache to all the development seekers; the MDGs seemed to be quite measurable at the time of commencement however the new global challenges like Global Warming and existing issues like Poverty, Education, Terrorism are making the development seekers to think twice on the action commenced.

There is almost consent of all in a point that Education is the prime factor to develop world into a considerable state. The goals like environmental sustainability, eradication of poverty, etc have deep interrelation with the goal Education For All (EFA). The literacy level or percentage is almost a clear indicator of development of any nation. In the same context Nepal has significantly improved on number of literate population in past few decades; the population who are able to read and write. The joint effort of government and related agencies with the significant contribution of all the citizens of Nepal has worked for the current literacy situation. The literacy rate was around five percent in around 1950s had increased to current rate of around fifty five percent by April 2010. This is a remarkable increment however the situation is not satisfactory.

Nepal is a signatory of Dakar Framework of Action and committed to Education for All by 2015. The Interim Constitution of Nepal- 2006 has made basic education as a fundamental right of people. Each community as stated in law deserves the right to get basic education in their own mother tongue. Three Years Interim Plan has emphasized social inclusion and education to all accessing non-formal and formal modalities. The government of Nepal has implemented different educational programs to educate its people. Some of them are formal, informal and non-formal. In recent years government has developed and implemented open school learning concepts as well. The increasing investment in Education is going well, new faculties have been introduced, new learning center have been built up, and every year government runs admission campaign in public schools. Despite these efforts on policy and strategy the implementation part has always been a big problem for the government.

The Dakar Framework of Action has set six major goals and the second is "Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult and those ethnic minorities, have access and to complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality". Similarly Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have also focused on Education for All by 2015. According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics, an estimated 46 million children are out of school in the Asia-Pacific Region, 32 million of them are in South and West Asia. The report also reveals that only half of the children who enter primary schools will reach grade five, Nepal closely follow behind more than 35 percent of children dropping out before the end of primary circle. The flash report 2008 shows that the Net Enrollment Ratio (NER) of primary level is 91.9%. It is obvious that there are 8.1% of schools going age children are still out of school and the significant numbers of children are either repeating the class or dropping out from the school. This situation is really a big challenge for the nation to achieve the EFA Goals by 2015.

Indeed the environment in public schools in Nepal has not been children friendly yet. Schools are not just schools in Nepal but much more than that. Often schools are being used as place for political demonstration. School campus is not only place for students to play but also has been utilized as militant training yard in the past and the trend continue till date. Lack of infrastructure in public schools, lack of qualified human resources, impractical curriculum, political nomination of teachers and again the politics that has touched every nook of school administration and functioning has hindered the pace of goal to be achieved. The political instability is the lubber that has been following the nation closely since decades and at its peak after post-conflict transition period. Collectively these situations had resulted to exile more than 13 percent of school going age children out of school and very high school dropout rate.

The goal is yet can be achieved after the proper study of education context and act to the following. The government need and all related agencies and stakeholders need to entail themselves in the proper study of the environment and constrains before launching any initiatives. There is a need to think not just of enrolling students at the starting of new academic year but making them regular at school. The questions like "Who is out-of –school children?"," How many are they?"," How do we recognize and carter them?"," How do we identify these groups?" should be taken into consideration while developing any programs. The level of intervention should be determined after the proper calculation of all factors. The trend of developing programs for village of Far-Western Region from capital city should be replaced with proper systems. Special consideration should be taken to build children friendly environment in schools or else the government investment about 15 percent of its total budget and millions of dollars will go in vain.