CHOICE OR COMPULSION?

 A true story of every student after completing grade 12. 

                                                                         -(picture from aecoverseas)

As a student who has completed her A levels, the most frequent question I get asked after how did I get so much acne on my forehead is, “What will you study now”? This question compels me to yell I DON’T KNOW on the top of my voice but I stay shut because it’s just my teenage era and their concern is reasonable too.

The chain of questions then follows with Where will you study- Nepal or abroad? Sometimes, during my “2 am life thoughts” I question myself if there were good institutions in Nepal, would I even think of leaving the country? At times, I find myself regretting not doing +2 science and then joining medical institutions because medical colleges in Nepal are comparatively better and cheaper than other countries.

As a student who is interested in how a nation works and subconsciously wants to join the Pratinidhi Sabha (The House of Representatives of Nepal), is highly intrigued by the concept of development and the ways to develop a nation, I am highly interested in macroeconomics, a branch of Economics that focuses on the performances of economies.

Having ambitions is good until and unless it is backed up by practicality and reality. A major problem arises when I start looking for colleges in Nepal. The universities that offer economics courses (BA in Economics) are very few. One of the so-called best colleges in Nepal, Tribhuwan University has been in the limelight due to the severe politics within the premises, and my cousins who studied there are still struggling to complete their masters due to the delayed examinations caused by the institution.

On the other hand, the private colleges in Nepal that are affiliated with universities of other countries have fewer options and I could only find these colleges offering courses like BBA or some specification in Information Technology (IT). The only option left is the government colleges with monotonous courses and a system full of politics. On the other hand, the courses do not offer a wide variety of options like switching subjects or doing multiple courses at a time.

Another problem faced by the students here is the lack of job market opportunities. For instance, after completion of the four years undergraduate course, students might want to try out the practical implementation of their courses. But finding a lucrative job with a proper salary is a vexatious experience in itself. This creates frustration within the students and shows how bookish the knowledge is.

On the other hand, if they use the same type of skill and experience in a foreign land, they will be able to earn and save double what they’re earning here along with fringe benefits. And those earning well here are trapped in the high-income tax rates or the rising inflation. The additional problems like the environment and air quality of Kathmandu have led the workforce easily being tired and frustrated.

Who wouldn’t love devoting the prime years of their lives to their nation? Who wouldn't love to give their sweat and blood in their own country? The pride of serving your own country, and acquiring knowledge from the people in Nepal itself is a big exposure because studying in Nepal means knowing what happened in the 1970s and comparing it to today’s time as a

successful learner. Studying here means learning about the Nepal Rastra Bank rather than the Federal Reserve Bank or Bank of England.

Emotionally and socially, leaving your parents and shifting to an entirely new country when they need you the most is not a choice. Leaving “gharma mamule banako khana” and tato Narayan dai ko momo is a strenuous task itself. Every day, there is a queue at consultancies and a flood of tears at the airport. To all the parents who think going out and studying abroad is painful, we get you. We understand that we won’t be spoonfed there but it is not a choice anymore. It has become a compulsion. 

-Priyanka Neupane