Kathmandu, March 15

Chairperson of the Agriculture and Water Resources Committee of the Parliament Gagan Thapa today said students of social work cannot deliver their service to the target group without understanding how politics works in society.

Speaking at a function organised here today by Social Work Celebration National Committee on the occasion of 10th World Social Work Day-2016, Thapa, who is also a Nepali Congress leader, said social works cannot be carried out effectively without proper understanding of politics.

“If anyone ignores politics, he/she cannot be a real student of social work,” he said, adding that students of social work should explore beyond their curriculum to understand national as well as global politics.

“We are still living in a society where 90 per cent of people are those enjoying the benefits of being born in certain class and caste. Hence, it is very difficult to carry out social work for the benefit of the target group without understanding how politics actually works in society,” he added.

Thapa said the new constitution aims to give equal status to all citizens, “The provision of 33 per cent reservation for women, special provisions for Dalits, Madhesis, Muslims and other marginalised and backward groups are all aimed at creating a society in which all citizens are treated equally,” he added.

Dean of Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Prof Chintamani Pokharel said the university would not compromise on quality and is committed to producing highly-skilled manpower.

SSP Sarbendra Khanal, chief, Metropolitan Police Crime Division, said Nepal Police had always supported public as a frontline agency.

“Respecting each other’s rights and work will help eliminate inequality and injustice in society,” he added.

Similarly, Durga Bhattarai, deputy director of Social Welfare Council of Nepal, said currently there were 238 INGOs and more than 42,000 NGOs in the country. He, however, said that hardly 1,500 of them were active.

World Social Work Day is celebrated worldwide by organising various activities.

Since 2007, Nepal has been celebrating ‘World Social Work Day’ annually with different themes. This year’s theme for the event is ‘Respect for the dignity and worth of people.’