I have recently enrolled myself into a Master’s in Indigenous Education and Development (MIED) Program in Kathmandu University School of Education. Two broad reasons motivated me to resume my academic journey after a 10-year hiatus:
My belief that sustainable development isn’t possible with imported knowledge alone. We need to explore and value the local and indigenous knowledge that has been thrived for thousands of years.
I come from country (Nepal) rich in diversity, yet I know little about it. Beyond few celebrations and rituals recognized through public holidays, much of this knowledge remains unknown to me. I wanted to learn more about Indigenous peoples, their cultures, practices and ways of living. As an ally, I aim to document and make this knowledge widely available.
This is not the first time, I am blogging. I also manage a page, arthabichar.blogspot.com, where I discuss tax, VAT, accounting, finance, and laws focusing on entrepreneurs. I am active on social media, primarily, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, where I journal my thoughts across various domains. Every Friday, I compile and share job lists as newsletter to support job seekers.
However, this blog will be different. I will be shifting my primary focus from social media to make using it as my main platform. I will still share links on social media, but here, I will add a section where I reflect on my learnings from MIED classes, share articles and notes inspired by my coursework, and delve into decoloniality.
My classes began on 7th August 2024, and, today 16th August 2024, I am publishing my first Substack blog, which also serves as an introduction. I would like to credit this blog to Associate Prof. Dr. Prem Phyak, Asst. Professor Dr. Lina Gurung, and facilitator Mphil Scholar Biswash Chepang, who wanted us to create public space for reflecting on our Decolonial education course.