SOURCE: http://www.nepalnews.com.np/ntimes/issue261/nation.htm



A class of their own
The Maoist Grade 1-3 curriculum includes military science
SATISH JUNG SHAHI in SALYAN


KUMAR SHRESTHA
The night sky is patched with dark pre-monsoon clouds and the porch of a straw-thatched mud house glows with bluish LED lamps lighting a makeshift stage. As the audience sit on straw mats, a peculiar music breaks the silence?a fusion of madal and battery powered keyboards.

Performers take turns singing revolutionary songs and dances. Two of them ridicule King Gyanendra and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. The performers are teachers who have just finished a training program on the Maoists? new curriculum for Grades 1-3 in this remote village on the border of Salyan and Rolpa.

?Education is not only rote reading like in the old regime, our teachers have to be trained,? announces Bhesh Raj Bhusal (alias Dhruba) secretary of the Maoist-affiliated All Nepal Teachers? Association.

?The old education is fatalistic, it glorifies the kings and the knowledge it provides is just good enough to become clerks,? says Rajan Rokka, 36, one of the 25 trainee teachers, from the Basu Memorial Model School in Rukum.

The Maoists say they are running at least three ?model? schools each in Rolpa, Rukum and Salyan and that their curriculum is now taught in 34 other schools in these districts. Students are mostly children of rebels killed in action, sons and daughters of current fighters or the underprivileged. Many teachers joined the Maoists because they were hassled by security forces for being rebel sympathisers.

That experience may explain why the teacher trainees seemed to ignore the militarism of the Maoist curriculum and that, like government texts that feature the royal family, Maoist Teachings include biographies of rebel chieftain Prachanda and other Maoist ?martyrs? like Suresh Wagle and Krishna Sen.

The curriculum is divided into five subjects: languages, social science including philosophy, politics, history, economics and culture science; health and environment under which military science falls, mathematics; and arts.

From class one children are taught military science by guerrillas. Youngsters are instructed to act normal when the ?satru? come to their schools and to note their weapons so they can pass on the information. During a mathematics session on teaching graphs, Comrade Anup, dressed in combat fatigues, displays a pie chart showing how many weapons the Maoists captured in their Beni attacks.

In the Nepali language book chha stands for chhapamaar (guerrilla), ma for masal (torch) and ha for hasia (sickle) like the one shown on the Maoist flag. The songs the teachers learn glorify battles like the one in Khara, which is described as the first time the Maoists engaged in conventional warfare against the RNA. The Maoists suffered heavy losses during that attack but this is not mentioned.

Another song is about the cradle of the Maoist revolution, Thabang in Rolpa and describes communes and the ?martyrs highway?.

?We have to move on with the demand of the current situation,? says Tufan Singh, secretary of the Maoist education department. ?You have to also look at the brighter side of the curriculum that is more practical and involves students getting closer to the community.?

The Maoists? Naya Janabadi Sikshya emphasises vocational training like agriculture and carpentry and also deals with the hazards of smoking, the need to help the poor and the underprivileged, and etiquette.

But don?t the teachers see a contradiction between such community-based education and the violence practised by the Maoists? we ask.

?We are not Maoists nor are we terrorists. We are teachers who went underground because the government didn?t pay any heed to our demands for fair education,? explains Bhusal. ?If the Maoist party ignores us we could even turn against them.?

Hello everyone,
You all have some good logic now. My point of intellectuals was to answer the previous threads. I am not saying that Maoists are run by group of intellectuals, that's why its great or something. I am just saying that, Maoist doesn't lack the group of intellectuals too. They also have the people whose job is to think, and come up with the different strategy, the strategy that is right for the country, and for the war to win, which favors the lower class people in the society.

I am still not getting response if atti Bho atti Bho supports Nazi movement... where is the logic here from you guys???

Paakhey, in another thread you had told me that 'Paakhey' only mean people from 'Paakha.'
But I was just waiting to see how much longer it would take for you to prove that 'Paakhey' doesn't only mean people from Paakha. It surely did not take you very long. Only if you were that quick to understand what Maoists truely are, you would be way better off.

Prem dai,
Until Ati bo ati gets back to the computer, let me answer this question for him.
No, he doesn't support Nazi movement. Now, what's your point?

No doubt that Baburam has Phd but what is the use of his it when it is not been used properly. Ithink Prachanda quit his teaching job because he was not getting enough salary. And also he was thirsty for more money, power and fame which he is getting it now by looting the banks and killing so many inocents people of nepal.

Though the top leaders might be well educate and have some good degrees but does that make them intelectual????

Hurray,
It doesn't mean that I will be "Paakhey" by not supporting what you believe. I believe what I consider is morally right. You believe in an easy way. You like living the way you are, cuz, you never did have any problem! You were born in a higher than average class family of our society, otherwise you would not be using internet at all, unlike rest of the Nepalese who even do not know what computer is. You want to remain in the present status. You do not want the servant of your house attending the same university that you are attending right now. makes sense bro?

Paakhey, you are also using internet now.... I wonder if you are who you claim to be.. i wonder why are you using internet and how you know how to use computer.... then your own logic says you are also from high class.. ha ha... don't make us laugh bro.

Paakhey, you make no sense to me. Really.

How do you know, "[I] do not want this/that; [I] am from an above that average nepali family or else I wouldn't be using internet?"
Just this logic is flawed. Anyway, you are as brainwashed as a suicide bomber. And I tried to open your eyes, but alas, I am no Baburam or Prachanda.

Guess what,
I make no sense to you guys, and you guys make no sense to me too. I feel like you guys have been brainwashed too. But, it is the most important thing to understand is we all are looking for the same target no matter what we believe in!

Prem Dai

I dont support Nazi. History is written by winners. Had Nazi won, they paint a cruel picture of Churchill, no doubts about it, Had Mao Zedong lost in china, he would have been just another traiter in the history books, which revolution has not shed blood, you must be familiar with French Revolution. Sometimes it reminds iome that current scenario if juxtaposed with French revolution, bears some resemblance. It wasn't until French people thought enough blood had been shed and had seen enough violency, things began to pacify. Maybe we (Nepalis---not just you and me) have not seen enough violence.

Didn't George Washington led an army against Queen's regime in US? Had he lost, where would he be, father of America????

British revolution wasn't violent.

And no french revolution is not similar to the ones going on in Nepal right now started by Maoists. Maoists are not revolting, they are terrorizing. French revolution was started firstly by women and children and secondly they did not go about killing poor peasants, but they were after all the elites, nobles and royals who were draining the country.
In the context of nepal, the corrupt politicians and royals roam around freely whereas the poor people are the dying.

Paakhey states", the strategy that is right for the country, and for the war to win, which favors the lower class people in the society. " heh heh Pls dun make me laugh ...FAVORING LOWER CLASS PEOPLE ? HE !!!HE !!!! EXPLOITING THE LOWER CLASS PEOPLE FOR THEIR BENEFIT IS MORE LIKE IT.

Pakhey states"It doesn't mean that I will be "Paakhey" by not supporting what you believe. I believe what I consider is morally right. You believe in an easy way." You are free to believe whatever you want(as long as you think and not act upon it its ok...There are a lotta things I think and want in this life ..like being blessed like Wilt Chamberlain with 20,000 yeah but will it ever happen..or is it practical ?) You mean to tell me that what Mao's are doing to general population is morally right (tell that to the member of all the innocent victim's families, tell that to the families whose children were kidnapped, people out of jobs, people filing for bankruptsy ....all because of this Mao mess) What the hell is an easy way and what is hard way ? he he

Bathroomcoffee,
Do not support the maoist movement if you don't like it. But, at least support the change in the country; hope for the better future, and act for it too. It may be your own way, the way you like, but at least act for a change; I am sure if we all do this, we will get to a right direction.

What change are you talking about. I do not give a rats ass about the change....FIRST WE NEED STABILITY, LAW AND ORDER...... THEN COMES ACCOUNTABILITY, AND ONLY IF NEED BE ..THEN COMES THE CHANGE....ITS A LOGICAL PROGRESSION Unlike the morons here who are running with slogans and snippets without any logic or reasoning.

Bathroom,
The stability, law and order that you are talking about will surely be seen one day. For all those things to achieve, change is necessary. We already found out that all those things are not possible under the current system.......

Easier in theory but hard in practicality. It will be seen one day rey ? he he When Nepal becomes another state for India ? Change without security and stability will be chaos. Already found rey ?? ?? How do you know ? Have YOU tried ? he he Paakhey ..you talk as if you are some sort of an expert in Nepal.....WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT WILL HAPPEN IN WHATEVER SYSTEM YOU ARE ADVOCATING ?

You are in the same boat as Anil Shahi, Nepe, and Anti monarchy..he he Building Giant Castles in the AIR..Otherwise known as HAAWAAMAHAAL. Its easy to do all this hawadari guff, is it practical ? This gyaney character is trying(al least trying) to do things right....we've got nothing to loose.......give him a chance. If he screw up BY ALL MEANS GET RID OF HIM. but at the same time at least give him a chance and some time to do things right.

What right does Gynendra has to practice his rule over the country? I am not only talking about his present constitutional right, but I am talking about his right in any fair society. Is he superior than us just because he was born in the Royal family. Does he have right to rule us just because he is the son of the king?

I do not give a shit about all that bull shit....like who he is, his family, his authority all that is secondary to Stability, Law and order. I will discuss that once the country is stable...then we can have accountability(thanks to law and order). If he does Nepal wrong we can take him to court or even lynch him(whatever floats the majority's vote).

Y'all need to seperate Gyaney THE MAN(person) from Gyaney the King ....
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX FOR A CHANGE. Hehe

AY!! BATHROOM COFFEE BRO KA KURA GARRA YESTO YAR.... KASARI HAGGU GARDAI COFFEE KHANAEE YAR!!!

Bathroom,
yeah...the same is the problem with most Nepalese these days. They don't care about anything at all like you. What if someone else sacks the king and rules over the country? You will say, you don't care as long as the person creates law and stability. What stability has Gyanendra created so far after he became the king? If you think you are against the Maoist, then you are wrong, you are indirectly supporting them. When they come to power, you will say the same thing, you don't care about any bullshit as long as they create law and order. It is not unusual that in the huge context of the Nepalese society, some people think the way you do.