Darkness Beneath the Light

 One hazy winter day, I along with my friend had to go to Lainchaur for a work to be done. We got on to a microbus reaching old bus park.  The microbus was packed and we had to complete our journey without having being seated in microbus. A boy who seemed to be in his early teen asked us for our fare. Upon giving him our fare and student identity card, he passed our identity card to the driver to scrutinize them. I then had a feeling that he did not know how to read or write. Eventually, he returned our identity card after verification from the driver who, for us, seemed articulate enough to know the expiring date of the card.

 We then started our journey towards New Road on walk. Near Keshar Mahal, building of Education Ministry, my eyesight caught two children sniffing the drugs in the used packet of milk. I also overheard them quarreling with each other using vulgar words which would have been very hard for normal people to digest.The incident was under surveillance of several policemen but they all were stoic. The Policemen were rather entertained by the act of those children contrary to what we expect them to do in these situations. Furthermore, the body looking after the education sector is Educational Ministry near which the very incident had taken place.

Few meters ahead, some kids of school going age were begging for money; claiming they felt hungry but had no money.   I really felt pity of our country from the incidents that I witnessed in quick succession of time.  Slogans of child right or education for all seemed not to have existed for those children I came across. It was ludicrous to have witnessed such things in front of the Ministry which looks after educational system of the country. And, lack of education is root cause of these problems. The incident was clear illustration of the proverb, darkness beneath the light.

 Country, now, is preparing to draft a new constitution. In these circumstances, the prerogative rights of the children such as to read and write should be ensured in new constitution. Also, the constitution should be implemented pragmatically and not  within the words of constitution only. Government, Ministry of Education (MOE), several non-governmental organizations looking for the welfare of children needs to be more focused to their task.

Let times come as such, that no child would be a bus conductor or get engaged in any menial labor work but all would get an opportunity to read. Let those streets be occupied by cheerful faces who promise to lead the country in the path of success, one day.