KATHMANDU: Without completion of content, a student is not able to give his/her 100 per cent in the board examinations. And one cannot guarantee that the questions would be asked from only a particular chapter or content from that specific year. So having the knowledge of all the content of a text for that year is crucial to fare well in the exams. And the marks obtained is a way to compete in the job market. However, due the educational institutions remaining shut either due to earthquake or Nepal bandh has created pressure on students to catch up hurriedly for their examinations.

Current scenario

For more than two months the earthquake of April 25 and its aftershocks disrupted everyone’s life. And educational institutions were unable to function. However, everything has moved beyond or trying to get ahead of this tragedy and likewise our educational institutions too headed on their track, then there came another hurdle — bandhs (strikes) that forced a halt their activities, which translates to loss of precious time for students regarding their scheduled classes.

About this Muna Bhadel, a student of MFA IIIrd Semester at the Department of Fine Arts, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur opined, “We get to study in class for around five months a semester, and due to the earthquake our semester started a month-and-a-half late. Now there are bandhs that have affected the flow of our course.”

According to Govinda Bahadur Karki, Campus Chief of Koteshwor Campus, students who are currently studying in Bachelor’s Ist Year and Master’s Ist/IInd Years are facing the pressure of studies as their board exams are coming near. “Educational sector should be free from political affairs and students should not get involved in politics. Students are the future of the nation and if students get lost from their goal, that is to gain education, then there is no probability of the nation’s existence. Education is one of the major infrastructure of development and if education is disturbed then it is not possible to produce skilled manpower and the nation would not develop. So it is high time that everyone understood this fact.”

Coping with the situation

Humans have the tendency to be resilient and so the colleges as well as students are working hard to not lag or stagnate. About managing time, Ranju Shasankar, a student of BBS Ist Year at Koteshwor Campus expressed, “Due to the earthquake, we are late in completing our course but we are managing by coming to college on Saturdays as well and we are having extra classes. But the bandhs have added more pressure on us.”

However, her classmate Kebal Karki feels there is no problem regarding completion of the course and said, “We are having extra classes and though chapters are taught in a hurry, we will be able to know the whole content. With extra hard work, we can do well in our exams.”

Another student Rupa Karki, studying in BIM VIth Semester at the Institute of Management Studies, Thapathali shared, “I am preparing for my board exams and my college has managed to complete the course. It would definitely affect the result if we are not familiar with the course.”

Moreover, Bhadel would want to study without hurry and she said, “When classes are not disturbed, then we get a chance to study properly where we won’t be only concentrating on completing the course. We would get to discuss, research and learn details about the content which is the effective way of learning. That has not happened as our time has been disturbed by natural disaster as well as manmade disaster.”