Kathmandu, January 28:

Speakers at a programme today claimed that the educational system of the country is one of the reasons why people opt to pick up guns and stressed on the need to prioritise ‘industry-oriented’ educational system.

Speaking at an interaction programme organised by the Education Journalists’ Group, Gaud Raj Lohani, a representative from the Maoist Teachers’ Association, said: “Improper educational system is one of the main reasons for the conflict in the past years.

So, the government should now focus on free education for all.” He said: “The curriculum should be made precise so that it can be completed on time.”

Dr Chet Pariyar, an educationalist, said: “The education should be job-oriented so that the students could apply their education in their work.”

He said: “After improving the quality of education provided by public schools, private educational institutions should be abolished.”

“Education provided by private institutions is creating humiliation to public schools’ students and students from public schools are suffering from the problem of inferiority complex,” he said.

He also emphasised on the need of promoting distant education and compulsorily hiring of local lady teacher to eliminate the social evils of the society.

During the interaction, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Nepal, a non-governmental organisation, displayed a laptop computer that is designed for educational purpose.

The computer worth $100 is already on test in various countries like Argentina, Brazil and other countries of the world.

Shankar Pokharel, president of the One Laptop Per Child Nepal, requested to include computer education, in the three-year interim education planning, as a pilot project in various districts to make the education system more timely and affordable.

Secretary of the education ministry, Bala Nanda Poudel, said that the three-year education planning would be implemented by the beginning of next fiscal year.