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Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal with former bonded child labourer and core marchers of Nepal March for Education |
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Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal addressing the gathering |
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Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Flag off the March |
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Raj Kumar, 14 year old narrating her story from exploitation to education |
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Dilli Bahadur Chaudhury, President, BASE Nepal urging the govt. and the Nepaliese to join the historic march of change |
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| Kailash Satyarthi, President Global Campaign for Education and Chairperson Global March Against Child Labour applauded the people of Nepal to take first step towards educated New Nepal. |
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| The heavy rainfall was also not able to stop the core marchers including Radha 7 year old to march on the roads of Mahendranagar and enchanting " Hamro Nepal, Shikshit Nepal” (Our Nepal, Educated Nepal), “Chora Chori Barabar, School Jayain Sara Sar” (Boys and Girls are equal, Each to School" |
Mahendranagar (Western Nepal), 08 September 2009 – it was a historic day in the democratic Nepal when the Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal flagged off the Nepal March for Enforcement of Education from Mahendranagar on 8th September 2009. As the world marked International Literacy day today, Prime Minister Mr. Nepal gave a new slogan “Compulsory and Quality Education as a Fundamental Right for New Nepal”. Prime Minister was responding to a call by former Kamaiya (bonded) and child labourers, children out of school, victims of exploitation and the 25,000 strong commoners for inclusion of free and quality education as a fundamental right in the new Constitution of Nepal.
Prime Minister Mr. Nepal also thanked the founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan and Chair, Global March Kailash Satyarthi for coming all the way from India to show solidarity with Nepal and its children. “We have all come together as one, coming together for all our children and our future.He urged Mr. Satyarthi to work on all fora and involve Nepal in Fast Track Initiative on Education for All. ”
The Nepal March for Education organized by Backward Society Education Nepal (BASE Nepal), Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) India and Nepal, Global March Against Child Labour and supported by numerous networks and organisations is the largest mobilization of common people in Nepal to include free and quality education as a fundamental right in the Constitution of Nepal. The physical march started today from Mahendranagar and will reach Kathmandu on 18 September after covering 1,500 kilometers covering the length of the country.
Rajkumari, 14 years old former child domestic labourer questioned the Prime Minister and the officials, “Is my country so poor that it can not give pencil and slate to us? This march is not only for me and my fellow marchers, but for all the children who are missing an education, working in homes, fields, factories, hotels, restaurants, stores, getting abused and exploited. This march is our call for education for all.” Further she added, “New Nepal has to be built on the foundation of education and freedom from exploitation.”
Internationally acclaimed child rights leader Kailash Satyarthi, President Global Campaign for Education and Chairperson Global March Against Child Labour remarked, “It is heartening to see the commitment of the children, common people and activists braving the rain to participate in the largest education campaign in Nepal. Nepal is at crossroads. It needs a strong and engaged democracy. The presence of the Prime Minister here ensures that the entire country wants to work for change and you want to educate your children. Nepal has become a source of trafficking to the South Asia; children are being prostituted, abused and exploited. But today shows that all this is going to change and very soon”. He committed to take this demand for education in Nepal to the Fast Track Initiative (FTI) for Education for All steering meeting. He assured that he would push for the inclusion of Nepal in the FTI funding mechanism.
Prime Minister Mr. Nepal welcomed Mr. Satyarthi’s remark for inclusion of Nepal in FTI mechanism. He said Nepal is keen to work exponentially to achieve education and inclusion in the FTI mechanism would be a strong step in this direction.
Tharu leader and President, BASE Nepal Dilli Bahadur Chaudhury asked the 25,000 strong gathering to spread the demand for inclusion of free and quality education to every village, every town and every city in Nepal. “In the last decade our country has gone through enormous turmoil. No mass movement can be successful without a people’s mass movement for education. There are 20 lakh children toiling in child labour, 3 girls are raped every two day, nearly half of all children are not able to complete their primary education, Kamaiya and Kamlari although abolished are still prevalent in out society, discrimination happens in the name of caste, community, religion. These are not simply astonishing statistics, they represent the face of Nepal. Today, we must make a strong commitment to change this and bring the light to education, free, quality and compulsory education to Nepal.”
Showcasing the vibrant culture of Nepal were dances from different parts and communities of Nepal. Marching across the town of Mahendranagar, they caught the attention of people as the children shouted slogans. The cries of “Hamro Nepal, Shikshit Nepal” (Our Nepal, Educated Nepal), “Chora Chori Barabar, School Jayain Sara Sar” (Boys and Girls are equal, Each to School).
This National Education Campaign has the support of Ministry of Labour and Transport Management, Ministry of Women, Child and Social Welfare, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Irrigation among other government department and community based organizations.
The march moves through Jhalari and Atariya reaching Dhangadhi tomorrow. |
