'Write a couple of paragraphs to describe the physical appearance of your English teacher.' This is a 6-mark writing prompt in a Grade 9 question bank for an English exam meant to evaluate the quality of students’ use of language.&nbsp; Nepal’s textbooks have long earned a reputation for being sloppy, unrevised, and filled with content that ranges from comical to outrageous.&nbsp; New Gateway to Computer Science textbooks for Grades 8 and 9 define computers as ‘100% accurate machine’, adding ‘computer never feels tired or boring but a human being does’, while also blaming computers for ‘creating unemployment problem’, ‘being non-intelligence devices’ and alerting students that ‘damage may occur anytime’. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/teaching-nepali-teachers-to-teach-better">Why do so many Nepali students underperform?</a>, Anita Shrestha  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230919140956_228175995d0ecdbd519d03589314f21db2c69aabf2967278318e45591507020a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230919140956_228175995d0ecdbd519d03589314f21db2c69aabf2967278318e45591507020a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1585" height="603" loading="lazy" alt="Textbooks"> <figcaption>New Gateway to Computer Science textbook, Grade 8 (left) and Grade 9 (right), 2077 edition </figcaption> </figure>  To make matters worse, these modern day computer textbooks have several pages dedicated to tautological descriptions of ancient computers and obsolete devices, and only a single cursory reference to artificial intelligence. Green Books’ Health, Population and Environment Education for Grade 10 offers an easy solution to overpopulation: ‘When females have job opportunities, they have less time in rearing and bearing children. Ultimately, the population is controlled.’ Government-directed exam questions are no better. An SEE science question asking students to reason out why the energy crisis can be ‘pushed up to the next generation’ poorly phrases what it is actually trying to ask. As a result students are left questioning the concept of sustainable development that they have spent hours memorising.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230919140956_06c897c3c7a790de291a38adddf3fce55b3349875055cf7649656c144939f674.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230919140956_06c897c3c7a790de291a38adddf3fce55b3349875055cf7649656c144939f674" data-rendition-name="original" width="1423" height="477" loading="lazy" alt="textbook"> <figcaption>A question from the 2019 Sudurpaschim Province SEE Science exam</figcaption> </figure>  Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/digital-divide-exposes-class-divide-in-nepal-schools">Digital divide exposes class divide in Nepal schools</a>, Nunuta Rai Rajendra Dahal, editor of the Shikshak Monthly magazine for teachers blames the poor quality of government funding in education. “Those who are entrusted with developing the curriculum as well as writing and approving content in both government and private textbooks should be experts in their field, not unmotivated officials who cut corners,” he says. Outdated content creeps into compulsory English and Nepali exams as well, where time and again students are required to write and design lengthy letters and postcards in exams. Add pretty borders, a stamp, and a neat envelope illustration, and you will get bonus points. Moreover, not only are questions poorly framed, they are also flawed in how they are asked. As a result, teachers have to decipher questions to students alongside teaching how to answer them. The stark difference between the English and Nepali versions of this SEE science question, where half of the question is lost in translation, says it all.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230919140956_be411c8ff560c239759608df30f963a6bda32aa555049b26dbf1f6d1233d6240.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230919140956_be411c8ff560c239759608df30f963a6bda32aa555049b26dbf1f6d1233d6240" data-rendition-name="original" width="1722" height="288" loading="lazy" alt="textbook"> <figcaption>A question from the 2019 Lumbini Province SEE Science exam</figcaption> </figure>  &nbsp;With such poorly revised content in books and exams, the authors only promote confusion and frustration among students. Sentences are rife with grammatical errors, proofreading and fact-checking are thrown out of the window, and rote learning is entrenched in the fabric of every chapter, every model set, and every question. Admittedly, every five years, the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) revises its textbooks, and completely rewrites them every ten years. This academic year, the updated curriculum for Grades 5, 8 and 10 rolled out along with all-new textbooks, but the quality of content is no better. When questioned about the deplorable quality of school textbooks, CDC Director Kunti Adhikari was indifferent. “Minor errors in textbooks within the first year of publication are normal, and we regularly correct them,” she said. “Besides, our review process is rigorous and extends beyond CDC to a wider group of experts and professionals.” That is not reflected at all in the content. The CDC-issued Grade 8 English textbook, in the name of ‘speaking activity’ asks students to read out pointless dialogues that do not match the level of intellectual stimulation their age requires. Absent are prompts that ignite critical thinking, and meaningful discussions that allow students to voice their views on topics that actually matter to them. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/teaching-nepali-teachers-to-teach-better">Teaching Nepali teachers to teach better</a>, Tom Robertson  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023091915098_fa94d77e28a340701e409c653bd796a3d36cd1111d02f281fd3b4e5578810ec8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="2023091915098_fa94d77e28a340701e409c653bd796a3d36cd1111d02f281fd3b4e5578810ec8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1300" height="1092" loading="lazy" alt="textbook"> <figcaption>Speaking activity assigned to students in the English Grade 8 textbook (2023 version) published by the Curriculum Development Center</figcaption> </figure>  Even more worryingly, the 2080 edition of CDC’s Health, Physical and Creative Arts Grade 8 reduces the cause of mental depression to this inane definition: ‘People sometimes are affected by small things and they become sad. This condition causes depression.’ Over 7 million students go to school in Nepal, of which a majority study in rural schools, 80% of them government-run. For these children, such books are the only source of information and education. “By neglecting the importance of these learning materials, not only do we compromise their right to quality education, we also limit their ability to become competent academics, workers, and leaders,” adds Rajendra Dahal. Over two decades ago, school teacher Perry Thapa had raised this very issue in Nepali Times. What she wrote in this paper in 2000 still holds true: “Too many young minds are being brainwashed with rubbish. Too many hours are being spent memorising gibberish. Too many hands are slavishly penning utter nonsense. Even discerning students are forced to parrot nonsense if they want to succeed.” Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-hard-working-students-overseas">Nepal’s hard working students overseas</a>, Sonia Awale

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Learning rubbish, memorising gibberish

Classrooms in Nepal still follow orthodox instruction methods where teachers spoon-feeds information, encourage memorisation for exams and discourage questioning. Students then become docile and are not motivated to think out of the box. A Kathmandu-based organisation is set to change that. Fun Play Learn works with schools in Kathmandu Valley to make learning especially science and maths fun and accessible through interactive sessions. The non-profit has 580 volunteers who visit 65 poorly-resourced local schools, most of them government run, in Koteswor, Baneswor, Chapagaun, Mahalaxmi, Lalitpur, and Basantapur reaching more than 8,100 students every week. Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/practicing-mindfulness-in-schools"> Practicing mindfulness in schools</a>, Basu Gautam  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230710100736_99c3726bda54eb2760851c6604ec2af1c207a568a193d97f9d1437239d2cb476.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230710100736_99c3726bda54eb2760851c6604ec2af1c207a568a193d97f9d1437239d2cb476" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Playing to learn NT"> </figure>  Fun Play Learn was set up last year by Abhay Puri who previously worked at the Indian education NGO Pratham, and Sakar Pudasaini of the Kathmandu-based Karkhana to improve the quality of instruction and the education system in Nepal and the region. Puri is an Indian tech professional formerly with Google in Silicon Valley who is invested in making learning fun and accessible. He says, “Spending on education is the most optimal way to get a high payback for a nation.” Puri himself was not the brightest students before left for the US for higher studies. What he had was a lot of curiosity and questions, but the conventional education system didn’t encourage those qualities, especially if a student fails exams. &nbsp; So for the past two decades, Puri has dedicated himself to making education more accessible and learning more for fun so that children like him would be interested in instructions. He chose Nepal because it shares many cultural as well as education system similarities with India. Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/improving-learning-in-nepali-schools"> Improving learning in Nepali schools</a>, Barbara Butterworth  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230710100740_490f7108882ac3bba1b9a5b2120a53ac9a9d1f367722015a12575ecfb3f72c95.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20230710100740_490f7108882ac3bba1b9a5b2120a53ac9a9d1f367722015a12575ecfb3f72c95" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Playing to learn NT"> </figure>  The key is to introduce and implement various kinds of games relevant to their instruction. Explains Puri: “Discipline often squelches your learning. It was a waste to not use play for children because playing allows children to be focused, passionate, and curious.” Puri likens his method to that of learning in the pre-industrial world. “I’d like my children to play with real mud, real pots and pans. See how cement is made,” he adds. “Learning is a continuous process of experimenting and failing. The community should provide a vehicle to do that.” Fun Play Learn uses a range of creative practices to integrate fun. During one of the sessions recently at a local school, volunteers passed around a pre-made origami fish and gave the children time to be creative with sheets of paper. Sure enough, the children immediately copied the complex folds to make their own paper fish. “Our methods are unorthodox, as we do not tell children how to do something. We act just as children and encourage them to ask questions so that they navigate the game along with us,” says team lead Ravi Timsina, adding that they are not trying to teach something entirely new but get children curious and excited. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/growing-appetite-for-school-lunches">Growing appetite for school lunches</a>, Marty Logan  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230710100740_d7b2e4786fb289b137da6414065bd126cc6951ffe37682511b9875881fb4dd48.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230710100740_d7b2e4786fb289b137da6414065bd126cc6951ffe37682511b9875881fb4dd48" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Playing to learn NT"> </figure>  Fun Play Learn also trains local volunteers to become leaders, a grassroots organisation that encourages young people to take agency over the change they wish to make. Individual volunteers, their unique way of dealing with children, and their personal motivations are emphasised. One of their volunteers in the Anamnagar area is Payal Agrawal, a third-year Bachelor in Social Work student. She joined Fun Play Learn to utilise the time she would have otherwise wasted by procrastinating at home. She says: “Interacting with the kids and seeing them focused, independent, and curious gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment.” Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/teaching-nepali-teachers-to-teach-better">Teaching Nepali teachers to teach better</a>, Tom Robertson

Playing to learn

Many students in Nepal do not even learn half the content of the school curriculum in various subjects because of teachers without adequate training and motivation. The 2020 report <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J1ZmZgigpoOPtrRW05wzp7N4kZYZUB3H/view">National Assessment of Student Achievement (NASA) in Mathematics, Science, Nepali and English for Grade 8</a>, published recently by the Education Review Office (ERO) showed that students are struggling to acquire even minimum learning. The report draws from its assessment of 43,886 students from 1,800 schools across the country, and concluded that the majority of students are not able to learn even half of the content of the subjects they are taught.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230329150352_4f54a4bd8b361f57e915abccca760ac5d8fefd6ed9bd8338a553a11f6145f776.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230329150352_4f54a4bd8b361f57e915abccca760ac5d8fefd6ed9bd8338a553a11f6145f776" data-rendition-name="original" width="796" height="1060" loading="lazy" alt="Student performance in Nepal"> </figure>  Three versions of standardised tests, together with the background information in the questionnaire to the sample students, the teacher questionnaire to subject teachers and the school survey questionnaire to the head teachers, were administered in each school.&nbsp; Only 32.1% of eighth graders in Nepal passed the basic proficiency level in mathematics. The numbers for science, Nepali and English stand at 37.7%, 58.8% and 51.1% respectively.&nbsp; In the case of mathematics, the national average of learning achievement in 2020 decreased by 17 scale scores from 500 in 2017. Similarly, the national mean of science was 470, which is 30 scale scores below the national mean from the NASA 2017 study.&nbsp; And while the students from Bagmati, Gandaki and Kosi scored above the national average, the report adds that the performance of Madhesh, Karnali and Sudur Paschim students was lower in all four subjects than the national average. “The increased number of students with minimum learning achievement shows problems in the teaching-learning strategies, remedial actions and the role of head teachers,” says Devi Ram Acharya of ERO. The assessment was designed to prepare baseline data for the School Sector Development Plan (SSDP), as well as to compare the learning achievement of 2020 with the previous cycle of NASA in 2017 to ensure quality school education. Since 2011, ERO has published four reports, all of which have found lower-than-average learning achievements. "We have been suggesting the government and policymakers to formulate practical and implementable educational policies at national and sub-national level for the much-needed educational reforms,” adds Acharya. “But the government has failed to address the problem.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230329150352_7fa0b2ef65c148899547f715806dc7ef9b32827b81f226ee26e3b912babbb3b4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230329150352_7fa0b2ef65c148899547f715806dc7ef9b32827b81f226ee26e3b912babbb3b4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1125" loading="lazy" alt="Students in government schools"> <figcaption>Photo: NEPALI TIMES ARCHIVE</figcaption> </figure>  The factors considered in the research are age, home language, school type, distance between home and school, career aspirations, parental education and occupation, family size, teacher's regularity, permanent head teacher, and subject teachers. The president of Nepal Teachers Federation, Kamala Tuladhar, believes that one of the reasons behind the poor level of learning of Grade 8 students is the promotion of failed and weak students from lower grades.&nbsp; The government in the 1990s introduced the Liberal Promotion Policy which allows students from Grades 1 to 7 to be promoted to higher grades even when they fail the final exam. But teachers and parents are also said to be equally responsible for the lower proficiency level.&nbsp; Education expert Shyam Shrestha, on the other hand, blames the ignorance of the government. “Most public schools don’t even have enough subject teachers to begin with,” he says.&nbsp; Shrestha was a member of the High Level National Education Commission in 2019 which published a report recommending the government to fill the vacant post of teachers to improve school education. Shrestha’s team found that out of 650 public schools, only 71 had the required number of teachers.&nbsp; “In our report to the government, we recommended that enough teachers should be hired, even suggesting the ways in which the student’s learning achievements can be improved,” he says. “If there are no adequate teachers, including subject teachers, how can the students learn?” Teachers were involved in politics, they lacked infrastructure and textbooks, and there was unequal distribution of students in class. “The government itself is promoting private schools rather than thinking about the improvement of public schools,” he adds. The Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) however says there is no link between the students’ learning achievement and the curriculum. Director-General Baikuntha Aryal says, “We have been analysing the recommendation of ERO and we have changed the curriculum as per the students’ point of view.”&nbsp; But the difference in basic-level learning achievement affects not only the students and their future, but also the country's human capital and knowledge economy, especially as Nepal continues to rely heavily on labour migration even as the world advances rapidly in all the sectors. &nbsp;“There is a noticeable gap in monitoring and evaluating school governance, empowering head teachers,” he adds. “Proper systems for reward and penalty should be in place to improve the situation, and local government should also play a crucial role in the improvement of governance in the school.”

Why do so many Nepali students underperform?

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d75a9c7e80680e0314d9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="495"/>Ncell Private Limited honoured outstanding students of various faculties at the Central Campus Pulchowk, Institute of Engineering (IoE) with Ncell Scholarships and Excellence Awards on 30 May, as a part of its CSR initiative aimed at promoting young talents and contributing to nation by nurturing skilled human resources.Under the initiative, Ncell has been awarding Ncell Scholarships to students securing highest annual scores and Ncell Excellence Awards to students graduating with top scores in Bachelor of Engineering Electrical, Electronics and Communication, and Computer faculties since 2014.This year the Ncell scholarships were rewarded to 12 toppers while Ncell Excellence Awards were awarded to 4 students who graduated securing highest marks. Campus Chief Professor Dr. Gokarna Bahadur Motra, Assistant Campus Chief Jitendra Kumar Manandhar and Ncell representatives handed over the scholarships and awards.Since its inception a total of 60 students have been honoured with Ncell Scholarships and 20 students have received Ncell Excellence Awards of Rs8 million till date.Ncell Scholarship receivers: 1st Year Toppers<ol><li>Shishir Lamichhane (Electrical)</li> 	<li>Nishesh Awale (Electronics and Communication)</li> 	<li>Baibhav Bista (Computer engineering)</li> 	<li>Shristi Shrestha (topper among all female students of these faculties)</li></ol>2nd Year Toppers <ol><li>Aditi Gajurel (Electrical)</li> 	<li>Jayshree Rathi (Electronics and Communications)</li> 	<li>Saramsha Dotel (Computer)</li> 	<li>Saloni Shikha (topper among all female students of these faculties)</li></ol>3rd Year Toppers<ol><li> Avishek Sapkota (Electrical)</li> 	<li>Selina Shrestha (Electronics and Communications)</li> 	<li> Prakriti Dumaru (Computer)</li> 	<li>Shreeti Shrestha (topper among all female students of these faculties)</li></ol>Ncell Excellence Awards winners:<ol><li>Bibek Rai (Electrical)</li> 	<li>Pranjal Dhakal (Electronics and Communications)</li> 	<li>Brihat Ratna Bajracharya (Computer)</li> 	<li>Himali Aryal (topper among all female students of these faculties)</li></ol>

Ncell confers scholarships and awards to students

In the black and white photograph, General Wangdu smiles broadly in front of the dusty cactus garden in Kathmandu’s Annapurna Hotel. With an ill-fitting jacket and shaggy hair he looks benign enough, but this was the last leader of the Tibetan freedom fighters who led the resistance against the Chinese from their remote mountain hideouts in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/comings-and-goings-in-mustang">Mustang</a>. Five months later, Wangdu was dead. Snapped in March 1974, I had only recently arrived in Nepal. How did I meet this legendary fighter? Possibly with his devoted camp follower, Lynne Klapecki, and probably in the Om Restaurant near Freak Street which was the preferred <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/hippie-trail-nostalgia-in-kathmandu">hippie hang-out</a>. Om Lobsang and his brother Yeshe were <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/earthquake-brings-back-memories-of-camps-for-tibetan-refugees">refugees from East Tibet </a>whose cafe offered a friendly welcome and<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/momo-loco"> the best momos</a> - they became my in-laws after I married their eldest brother Tenzin, but that was a decade later.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1583" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Photo: LISA CHOEGYAL</figcaption> </figure>  Wangdu’s English was enthusiastically rudimentary, but even riding around town with him on the back of an aging <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kathmandu-s-new-motorbike-museum">motorbike</a>, he was a commanding presence. Always flanked by armed outriders, impressive scars marked his forearms and a pistol hung from the cord around his neck. A charismatic guerrilla leader, Wangdu was celebrated by his followers for his tough commitment and respected for his measured pragmatism. He seemed so young to have shouldered such a responsibility of command, leading hundreds of hardened <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/50-years-after-the%20raid-into-Tibet,1012#google_vignette">Khampa combatants </a>through what had been a particularly <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/heavy-snowfall-over-nepal-himalaya">brutal winter in Mustang</a>, the last bastion to hold out against the Chinese invasion of their Tibetan homeland.&nbsp; The freedom fighters of Tibet, known as the Chushi-Gangdruk, had emerged to resist the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/territorialism">Chinese takeover</a> of Tibet during the 1950s. Estimated to be 80,000-strong at the time of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/what-or-who-after-the-dalai-lama">the Dalai Lama</a>’s final escape to India in 1959, the sheer number of Chinese deployed into Tibet eventually forced the Chushi-Gangdruk to retreat to Mustang, From this high Himalayan stronghold, they continued cross-border raids on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) throughout the 1960s.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1114" height="676" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Guerrillas known as the Chushi-Gangdruk emerged to resist the Chinese annexation of Tibet during the 1950s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>  Their Kathmandu base was a small discreet lodge in a back lane near Rani Pokhari. Sipping sweet tea from a blue mug with a chipped lid, I sat bemused in a corner of the Mustang Hotel room whilst Wangdu and his cohorts received a battered brown suitcase from their CIA connection, a tousle-haired American in a leather jacket. Heaved onto the dingy bedspread that covered the thin mattress, it was clicked open to reveal piles of neatly stacked dollar bills.&nbsp; I cannot think why Wangdu allowed me to witness this handover but I was clearly no threat, a newly arrived world traveller with no understanding of the stakes nor any Nepali or <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/tibetan-music-in-nepals-sacred-valley">Tibetan language</a>. Despite armed guards in the corridor,Wangdu radiated confidence and bravado, and there was a practiced familiarity to the tense transaction. This deadly dance for many years had been funded by the Americans, tolerated by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-kingdom-within-a-republic">Mustang’s residents</a>, and permitted by King Mahendra and the Nepali authorities who it suited to turn a blind eye.&nbsp; But Mahendra died in 1972, and times were changing. Richard Nixon’s ping-pong diplomacy thawed the cold war and signalled a fresh entente with China. Nepal’s yet-to-be-crowned <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/if-birendra-was-alive-nepal-could-still-be-a-monarchy">King Birendra </a>was under pressure to curb the irritating incursions against the PLA launched from the Nepali territory of Mustang. Keen to appease his northern neighbour, on several occasions the King summoned Wangdu for peace talks but, despite increasingly overwhelming odds, Wangdu refused to surrender.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1055" height="885" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>General Wangdu flanked by two Tibetan resistance fighters in Mustang in the 1970s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31" data-rendition-name="original" width="1044" height="792" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>King Birendra with General Wangdu (right in dark glasses) taken in 1974 possibly in Mustang after one of their few attempts at negotiation. Photo courtesy: RAJRNDRA KUNWAR</figcaption> </figure>  While I naively rode pillion around Kathmandu in the spring sunshine, Wangdu was in the midst of what turned out to be his final round of negotiations with the Nepal government. Refusing to cease hostilities with the Chinese, Wangdu must have suspected the cost of his decision, making his cheerful smile in the photograph all the more poignant and brave. It was only much later that I appreciated the significance of the moment. Wangdu had been sent to replace the first resistance leader in Mustang, Baba Gen Yeshe, a much derided corrupt character who stole money meant for his troops and exploited fleeing refugees by seizing their treasures. Baba Gen Yeshe never forgave Wangdu,and sought revenge in May 1974 by betraying him and his commanders to the Nepal authorities. Renewed Chinese incursions from the north, active PLA collusion with the Nepali forces under the new King, and treachery from within the Chushi-Gangdrukranks combined to seal their fate.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1400" height="769" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>British television journalists George Patterson and Adrian Cowell embedded themselves with Khampa guerrillas and accompanied them from Tsum Valley on a cross border raid on a Chinese Army convoy in 1964. Photo: ESSAYS ON NEPAL / SAM COWAN</figcaption> </figure>  Mikel Dunham, renowned author of Buddha’s Warriors, writes: ‘It is possible that Wangdu was waiting for some cue from the Dalai Lama’s government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India. It is equally possible – during that last, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-human-cost-of-nepal-s-yarsa-gold-rush?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR31-Cqw8oyIwMPzf_35e4Skr0ululJvLf3_vDkzHn-AYG2h8uPw2rqqErg_aem_tGVn5coY1-jA7fze_xqhew">desolate winter </a>– that he made the decision to go out in glory rather than admit defeat. Over the last fifteen years, Wangdu had experienced Tibet’s organized resistance being squeezed and shoved around by every conceivable outside force.&nbsp; First they had been pushed out of their own country by the PLA; then they had been refused sanction while on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/nepal-india-trans-boundary-bonds?fbclid=IwAR0PpJ5zUEbwdug3g_U3ar6FUugngRY0S8Tl2v_7wqzrsHmXWcXsKjvL4t4">Indian soil</a>; then they were abandoned by the Americans because, apparently, Nixon wanted to make friends with Wangdu’s mortal enemies, the communists; then they had been betrayed by the vampiric Baba Gen Yeshe – a Tibetan and, even worse, a fellow Khampa; and now, finally Wangdu’s army was being evicted by the Nepalis. One thing was certain: Wangdu was a warrior. To imagine Wangdu simply giving up and settling down in the pacific squalor of a <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/elderly-left-in-bhutan-refugee-camp">refugee camp </a>was unthinkable.’  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49.jpg" data-media-id="editor_20" data-image-id="2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="746" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>The much derided Baba Gen Yeshe, the first Tibetan resistance leader in Mustang, who betrayed Wangdu for personal gain. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_21" data-image-id="2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="656" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Aditya SJB Rana of the Royal Nepal Army whose team ambushed Wangdu and his cohorts at the top of Tinker Pass in Darchula, West Nepal. Photo courtesy: GAUTAM SJB RANA</figcaption> </figure>  By August 1974 the game was up. Wangdu and six of his exhausted party were killed on their horses by <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=7270">the Royal Nepal Army</a> on the brink of escape. The officer in charge, Aditya SJB Rana, cleverly predicted their route into India after they failed to silence a police radio in Yari. A carefully laid ambush trapped them near the summit of the Tinker Pass in Darchula,at 5,000 meters the highest military operation of its time. Wangdu’s body was helicoptered to Kathmandu, and a big show made of the royal Nepal victory.&nbsp; The Tibetan armed insurgency against China had reached its end.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_23" data-image-id="20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> </figure>

The Last Days of the Khampa

Starting 17 September Turkish Airlines will fly daily to Seville, one of Spain’s major tourist draws. This is Turkish’s sixth destination in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, and Bilbao. Seville is in the Andalusia region on Spain’s south coast with a rich Moor history. There are approximately 30,000 Nepalis living in Spain.&nbsp;

Turkish to Seville

Fenerbahçe Beko won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague finals in Abu Dhabi, held 23-25 May, defeating Monaco 81-70 in the final. Olympiacos, who defeated Panathinaikos 97-93, finished the series in third place. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final match, Nigel Hayes-Davis from Fenerbahçe Beko, received a prize of 1,000,000 Miles&amp;Smiles from Turkish Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer Ahmet Olmuştur. The carrier has been the title sponsor of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, a top tier tournament, since 2010.

Turkish Basketball

The newly-formed Himalayan Art Council is set to launch Nepal’s National Art Protection Platform that seeks to preserve <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-history-of-heritage">Nepal’s unique cultural heritage </a>using<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/artificial-censorship"> AI-powered tools</a>. The Council seeks to safeguard <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-art-going-places">Nepali art works</a> from neglect, theft and counterfeiting as well as preserve existing artwork and celebrate living masters by giving them a cultural space to continue the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/sacred-survival">sacred art traditions</a>. "We are introducing a new digital platform designed to preserve, verify and elevate <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-new-generation-of-alternative-artists">Nepal’s art for generations to come,</a>” says a statement from the Council, adding that the digital platform will use AI told for authentication and blockchain to keep track of works of art. Artists can now be protected by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/ayo-ai?fbclid=IwAR1uwmTVq4gUB70ljfRezjzukD9ArWXPuMnUikopeQ8PoiZMjicToPSwhKE&amp;=1">AI tools</a> that detect forgeries, identify their work even when unsigned, and ensure they receive proper recognition and credit. The archives will be searchable with translated inscription and interactive guides. Says curator Meena Lama: “AI and blockchains are tools that give us the power to detect fakes and identify unsigned paintings and track every piece. With these tools we can restore trust, secure authorship and give artists the dignity they deserve.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53" data-rendition-name="original" width="1300" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum."> <figcaption>Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum.</figcaption> </figure>  The Council is also holding an exhibition of Nepali cultural masterpieces with 50 historical <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671">thangka and paubha </a>by past masters and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/between-the-sacred-and-everyday">contemporary works by current artists</a>. This curated collection is a living tribute to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-yaks-go-so-does-culture">Himalayan culture</a> with economic depictions of deities, mandala and sacred narratives. The exhibition at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-portal-into-patan-s-past-and-present">Patan Museum</a> also provides an opportunity to meet painters and custodians of art and culture. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/golden-deities">Golden deities</a>, Sewa Bhattarai ‘The exhibition is only the first step in a long journey to ensure that Nepali art is no just seen but fully understood, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Narratives-of-Faith-and-Memory-Remembering-the-Lost-Sculptures-of-Kathmandu-exhibition,987">protected and remembered</a>,’ the Council says. Artist Kailash K Shrestha of Artudio has spent decades promoting thankha and paubha traditions because of their beauty and devotional meaning. But he also says artists are underpaid, exploited and ignored. He adds, “AI and blockchain are not just buzzwords, they are powerful tools that can protect Nepal’s artists from fraud, verify authenticity and build a permanent record of provenance.” Traditional Art Exhibition Till 17 May Patan Museum

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