Life in Street

Street Kid sleeping on Footpath of Sundhara in Rainy Day.

The Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN), conducted a survey of 100 street children in 1990, and claimed that there were 500 such children in Kathmandu (CWIN 1990). In 1993, three years after the first survey, CWIN claimed that this figure had increased by three times and reached 1500 (Pradhan 1993). At the same time, CWIN also claimed that the number of street children nation-wide in Nepal was 5000. 

On today's date, there are hundred of organizations working for street children, many colleges' and schools' practical field work are street children these days. In the name of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), hundreds of companies provide food-clothes for a day and publish their philanthropy in the headlines of National Newspaper with group pose picture. Many people think that still number of street children is not drastically change as it has to be. There are many hidden reason behind this facts: 

1. Every year around 500 children come to street of Kathmandu from several districts (CWIN, 2006). With this data, total number of street children who have been to street of Kathmandu will be almost 10,000 from 1993-2013. As before we don't find street children in every junction of Kathmandu. There are few place like Koteshwor, Durbar Marg, Pasupati, Basantapur, Mahankal where we find street children these days. Recent survey on 2013 by Center for Child Welfare Board (CCWB) has found total number of children in street of Kathmandu is 793. Number has definitely changed with the time and program of different NGOs but not exactly as expected by common people to whom street kids ask money for food. 

2. The other main reason for not having drastic change is lack of program from government. Government don't have any program for the street children yet. Without the initiatives of government and state concerned authorities it is near to impossible to eradicate street children. 

3. Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has similar and common program for street children. Due to the redundant in the NGOs' programs, children got choice to leave one organization and go into another if social worker don't do according to their wish and demand. 

4. Street children as so attached with major four things - Money, Drugs, Peer Group (Gangs) and Freedom in their life. They always desire to have that, either they are in NGOs centre or in street. NGOs never can provided those things in its center and instead of that along with therapy they provide education, health, food, shelter, clothes etc which is not the priority of street kids.    

5. Lack of stronger family background street children belong to is another problem. Street Children are either re-integrated or rehabilitated. Those who are re-integrated in the family come back to street due the same reason why they came before. NGOs don't have exact project for the street children family to strength them. According to research conducted in Kathmandu District by myself on 2012, it was found that more than 50% who are re-integrated come to street again. They don't come alone but bring other village boys in the street of city. 

Though we are delay but we are not diminish. We may be in wrong way but still we are walking for destiny. If NGOs in collaboration with Government come with effective program for street children within few years we will not find street kids in street. Only thing is we need to collaborate and feel the change in us.

Private School Bus : No Longer Safe Drive

Do you agree to travel in fully packed bus standing for whole month paying a taxi fare amount? I guess no one of us is so stupid to make that foolish decision but what if you don’t have any option then being fool. Everyday thousands of students of private (so-called) schools are force to travel in high packed bus paying handsome money for the shareholder belly.

During a campaign launched by the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD), they found the shocking result that private school vehicles had been carrying students thrice their capacity, were mostly of them are as old as 40 years. The most shocking things is that majority of Mafia Schools don’t have their own bus. They hire all the old engine bus which is always in worried to catch their route after dropping children.

Sushmita Sharma (name changed) student of class 9 from so-called reputed school said that “My home is at last bus stop which is Samakhushi. Driver and helper forced me to drop at Machapokhari saying that there is traffic jam in Gangobhu and they are getting late for their route time. I always had to pay extra money to go by local bus from there.”

 Do you think they drive slowly and safely when they are in hurry to get their que? Children life in such bus is in dilemma. We never know when our children gone face the accident. There is hundreds of problem relating with this issue. Why government and concerned authorities are quiet when public buses are used in private schools? There is no difference of having black and red plate in the bus. If colours difference can’t make justice.

School are promoting old buses with low cost contract to make more money which is not only affecting environment but also killing the lots of employment opportunities of new driver and helper. Apart from that, we are very well known about attitude of majority of bus driver and helper in public bus. The way the talk and behave with the people is not digestible for us then how can we think they are taking our children safely to school. High trend of using child labour in public buses and those buses are been used to carry the school student can affect the children mentality towards their future.

Furthermore, children are prone to harassment and abuse by the helper which is never the concern of school administration. Suman Dangol (name changed) said that “Helper always used to ask me number of my friend; he often used to touch her back while getting in-out of bus and try to flirt with her too. Its not only with her, it happened with most of girls.”

Reporting it to school administration is also useless; they can’t fire helper because they only hire bus for few hours. Lots of school bus tries to escape saying they send their own teacher in every bus but does he/she goes till last stop. They don’t.

The government has formed Institutional Schools Operation Criteria Recommending Commi-ttee (ISOCRC), a nine-member committee to develop criteria for operating private schools and recommend on various issues related to them but as other committees made in Nepal it’s till the tea-table and paper only. If Nepal Government and Private Schools’ Association will not make strict policy and effective implementation in this issue then it will create more serious problem among school going students.