Importance of Science and Technology Education in Nepal
The modern age is the age of science and technology. Day by day new inventions and discoveries are being done. The modern technologies are very useful and efficient if used appropriately. If we take a glance at the industrially advanced countries like Japan, USA, China, Germany, France, England e.t.c., they have high literacy rate, superior life style, first class socio-economic status and many more. Technologies are required to compete with other countries. Science and technologies are required for promoting the infrastructures of development. Science and technologies are also required to eradicate superstitions and establish quality life in a country. Further, science and technology is required for the popularity of a country.
Nepal shares much in its cultural, historical and socio-economic backgrounds. The region was once famed for its natural wealth and state of development, although the feudal patriarchal societies were deeply divided by inequalities of gender, caste and social status. Conditions worsened during the Rana rule, which left the country economically debilitated. In more recent times, a complex set of political, socio-cultural and economic circumstances has led to continuing ethnic strife in the region.
Until the eighteenth century, indigenous systems of education, based on religion, trade and craft, had been fairly widespread. This education placed its major emphasis on languages especially Sanskrit and religion: science and technology were all but excluded. Since the indigenous scientific and mathematical tradition had long died out, the science education that was introduced in the twentieth century was necessarily derivative. Many contemporary scholars have argued that creative thought in the region has suffered due to this reliance on an alien intellectual and scientific tradition. The above account is over-simplified, but it captures the central problem in the educational systems of Nepal: - they continue to carry an uneasy burden of alienation. The science that is taught in schools often seems ‘not their own’. In addition to the problems of formal language and terse presentation, there often persists in the school curriculum an urban middle-class bias. The schools and the education service are run by a best who are themselves the products of an imperfect system.
Today Nepal is very back in science and technology in comparison to many other countries. Even simple scientific equipments should be imported in Nepal from neighboring countries. Nepal is completely dependent in neighboring countries for many technical works. For instance, to fix a mobile phone tower, we should bring the technicians from neighboring countries. Nepal is dependent on international market for small instrument like pen to advanced instruments like computer and television satellites. This has caused serious injury in the economy of Nepal. Beside, many Nepalese, especially of remote area are superstitious. They are unaware of their situation. They are unaware of their health problems and their physical status. To exterminate such problems science education is very essential in Nepal. Use of science and technology is essential for rapid economic development of the country. Nepal is an agricultural country. The use of science and technology can increase production and productivity of agriculture on the one hand; it can also increase employment by utilising the local resources on the other hand. Judicious use of science and technology will also shift the dependence from agriculture to industries while at the same time, opening up opportunities for export. The need of the hour to-day is to recognise on science and technology as an important resource of the country which is to be used in full in a planned manner as an inseparable part of the development process.
These are the serious problems which Nepal is facing due to lack of science and technology. Therefore, Nepal needs good science and technology education. Recently, some policies are made by Nepal Government to improve the status of science and technology in Nepal. They are as follows:
1. To consolidate the prerequisites of science and technology developed so far.
2. To establish coordination between different institutions of His Majesty's Government and Tribhuvan University related to science and technology.
3. To increase the productivity of the available manpower by giving them more opportunity for career development.
4. To prepare necessary ground-works for transfer of technology by selecting appropriate technology for different fields.
5. To consolidate existing activities and to develop information services, repair and maintenance of equipment etc. which are required for execution of research and development works related to science and technology in meeting the short-term and long-term national requirements.
6. To develop manpower in new fields by bringing in qualitative and quantitative improvement of scientists and technicians.
7. To increase the opportunities for upgrading the scientific capacity and for exchange of information and know-how.
8. To develop and use appropriate technology which use the natural resources, available labour force and indigenous skill and resource to' the maximum.
9. To bring awareness to the people about the important role of science and technology.
10. To enlarge the international assistance and its participation in the field of science and technology.
So, Nepal needs science and technology education to remove superstitions, to do overall development, to increase competent manpower, to improve industrial and agricultural status, to save economy, to improve people’s life style, for publicity and many more. Nepal needs science and technological education to produce technicians and scientists in Nepal so that Nepal can manufacture required technologies itself which saves the country’s economy and Nepal shouldn’t be dependent on other countries for every works.
