RNAC enters 47 eventful years

Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC), the national flag carrier, is completing 47 eventful years on July 1, 2005.
Following the adoption of liberal market policies by the government in the aviation sector, the airlines is facing a tough competition for its survival as private, international airlines are making strong forays into Kathmandu.
The corporation has been serving domestic and international segments despite facing numerous handicaps in terms of logistics. Despite such odds, RNAC has till recently was the only prop of the aviation sector in Nepal, making significant contributions to the national economy. However, the development of the airlines also depends on the growth of the national economy.
Over four decades of unstinted service, the airline has experienced triumphs and tragedies, upheavals and successes, according to RNAC.
Nepal's aviation history started with a single RNAC DC-3 aircraft from Gaucharan in 1958, literally a cow-grazing field then. Initially, RNAC started its service with limited flights to Patna, Kolkata and Delhi in the international sector and to Simara, Pokhara and Biratnagar in the domestic sector by which period it had three DC-3s.
Commenting over the completion of 46 years, Rabindra Man Singha, first ticket seller of RNAC, who is also the former president of Nepal Association of Travel Agents (NATA) says, "RNAC is a national pride for Nepal which started airlines service in the country. It is surviving today even with a few aircraft." When I sold the first ticket of RNAC on the Simara route from Everest Travel Service, we were very optimistic about airlines' future progress, Singh said. Despite the slow progress, it is surviving and there are more challenges in front of it following the declaration of the open sky policy. Singh said 46 years ago, tickets to Simara would cost Rs 25 from Kathmandu, which now stands at Rs 1,120.
Asked about the performance of RNAC in recent years, he replied, "Government's intervention stopped the growth of the airlines."
With the rising number of national and international airlines joining the aviation field, RNAC has tough days ahead. It will be absolutely necessary for it to have an effective mechanism in place to cope up with the new challenges, opined Singh. "Not only that private sector people who are on the board of directors of RNAC, have failed to come up strong reforms for the national flag carrier," he complained.
Operating with DC-3s, the airlines went for an international route in 1960s and quickly moved on to the Turboprop F-27.
“The commissioning of the sturdy Twin Otter and Pilatus Porter aircraft into RNAC fleet in 1970 brought a swift and easy way of reaching many remote and rugged regions of the Kingdom. By early 1970s, the airline had introduced Hawker Siddley HS 748 turboprops and entered the jet age with Boeing 727s in 1972, after the Kathmandu runway had been extended for medium-sized jet operation. Later, Boeing 727s were gradually phased out with Boeing 757s.
Ambika Shrestha, former director of RNAC board, talking to The Himalayan Times commented that RNAC could not quite become a proper 'business' unit, which has hampered its growth. Bureaucracy does not help achieve fast growth in this competitive market, said Shrestha, who is also the former president of NATA. RNAC's current scenario hurts me, she said.
“Other national and international carriers have already made their base in Kathmandu and doing good business. But RNAC, being a national carrier has not been up to the mark despite its tremendous potential,” she said.
Currently RNAC operates on 10 international routes such as Bangalore, Bangkok, Delhi, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Osaka, Shanghai and Singapore in South East/Far East Asia and Dubai in the Middle East. In the domestic sector, it connects more than 30 destinations from Kathmandu and from its regional hubs in Pokhara and Nepalgunj.

The road taken• 1958 — One DC-3
• 1960 — Onto international route with
Turboprop F-27
• 1970 — Twin Otter and Pilatus Porter aircraft
• Early 1970s — Hawker Siddley HS 748 turboprops
• 1972 — Boeing 727s
• Boeing 727s phased out with Boeing 757s

A Century in blood

Everybody has his or her own idea of social service.
Prem Sagar Karmacharya, has done it literally with his own blood, donating it free for a whopping 101 times.
He has not only set a record for the number of times of blood donation, but has set a trend in Kathmandu. On the occasion of his 100th blood donation, the Satak Raktadata Samman Samiti has brought out a souvenir 'Parmita' and a CD with a Raktadaan geet, a song that inspires the practice of blood donation. Ramesh Shrestha has lent his voice for the songs, whereas Prem Sagar himself has penned the words for the Raktadaan geet.
The souvenir not only praises Karmacharya's effort, but also highlights the significance of blood donation and how one can save the lives of people who often die for not getting blood on time. Every one between aged 18-60 without any problem related to liver, lungs and heart, and without diseases like jaundice, malaria, typhoid and HIV can donate blood, according to the law of Nepal, reads the souvenir.
However, there should be three months gap between each donation. The song and the souvenir make a lasting impression on a listener and reader for a noble cause that may help save your neighbour.

Making the most of available time, resources

The education sector in Nepal has been dogged by frequent bandhs and internal conflict this year.
As the budget day approaches, the education sector hopes for some relief. But given the short time that the finance minister is getting and the ad-hoc nature of the budget, it is unlikely to propose any radical change.
However, expectation levels have been raised a wee bit, following the appointment of the experienced Bharat Mohan Adhikari as the finance minister. Adhikari is remembered for his budget during the nine-month long CPN (UML) government, led by the late prime minister Man Mohan Adhikari.
This time around, however, there might not be enough time for him for a comprehensive review of the budget, most of which has already been inked by existing bureaucrats.
Despite all this, the education sector has high hopes from the budget. One of its key concerns has been the steady outflow of students to foreign countries in search of quality education.
Nepal’s educational sector is mostly donor funded, with most donors concentrating on primary and basic education, where the social rate of return is higher because it builds up 'human capital'.
In contrast, the middle-level and higher education sectors suffer due to lack of money and resources. The government must now take a holistic approach to education and direct enough resources to build up quality manpower in the country. This in turn can power the nation’s economy to new heights and lead to new levels of development.
Ready examples before the government are India, China and Brazil who have greatly benefited from their intelligent investment in education. Technical education has also been playing a very important role in developing countries, giving them a power to leapfrog the development process.
Although, there may not be any magic wand for the finance minister, he may still revamp, redistribute and relocate existing funds more profitably.
Post-1990, the educational sector saw a rapid, albeit undisciplined, development in Nepal. But despite the rise of numerous educational institutions, the Tribhuvan University remains the most sought-after college.
Cost of education, which is very low in TU, is still one of the most important factors for a majority of students. Quality often takes a backseat to cost.
The quality of education that the innumerable private schools and colleges are providing today is questionable. But their relevance and importance cannot be denied.
Private schools and colleges have sprung up because government institutions have failed to meet the demand and deliver on their mandate.
The government today spends roughly 15 per cent of the total budget on education, a large chunk of which is spent on teachers’ salaries. On top of this, the distribution of teachers is not proportionate in districts. Politicisation of teachers is yet another big thorn on the side of education.
All these problems of resource crunch and lack of quality control are further vitiated by the Maoists, who are abducting students and teachers in large numbers from remote districts. When law and order breaks down so severely, it is questionable whether any amount of planning or investment can improve the situation.


Broken Promises
* Decision to hand over schools to communities, not done.
* Promise to give employment to 4,000 unemployed literate youths, not done.
* Establishing trade schools for the promotion of vocational education under the joint investment and management of government, local municipalities and and the chamber of commerce, not done.


Current State
Education allocation: Rs 15 billion 470 million.
No of universities: 05 (TU, KU, MSU, PU, Pokhara U)
No campuses under universities
under TU (constituent + affiliated): 61 + 222 = 283
under KU (constituent + affiliated): 1 + 11 = 12
under MSU (constituent + affiliated): 12 + 12 = 24
under PU (constituent + affiliated): 2 + 65 = 67
under Pokhara U (constituent + affiliated): 2 + 26 = 28
Total (constituent + affiliated): 78 + 336 = 441