While Prime Minister Deuba was visiting the US last month, it was reported that a telecommunications consulting group made a presentation to the PM regarding the immense potential of wireless communication in Nepal. This group confirmed what many of us instinctively know, i.e., Nepal's topography is uniquely suited to the use of satellite-based wireless technology. The group claimed that foreign investment of $100 million could be attracted to Nepal in the near term, and as much as $1 billion in the longer term. These figures seem, well, slightly fantastic. In remote areas of Nepal, it is hard to believe the demand for services to pay for such an expensive system would be found anytime soon. But, the concept of going "wireless" may be much more relevant to today's Nepal than the dream of attracting $1 billion in foreign investment. In fact, the recently unveiled "Immediate Action Plan" by His Majesty's Government (HMG) seems to embody just such an idea, if unwittingly.

For Nepal to get beyond the trap of the current Maoist insurgency, it needs a government that people can trust to deliver the services and support they need. And for HMG to deliver the sort of development services it should to all citizens of Nepal, it needs to be out there in the many parts of the country made so insecure by the insurgency. For HMG, this is the equivalent of conventional telephone technology or getting into the field with the wherewithal to make telephony—or development—happen. That countryside is mostly inaccessible. Thus the dilemma: how do you deliver support and hope to the people when you cannot reach them?

And out of this dilemma, a creative development solution and one which actually seems better than what might have been achieved under normal conditions because it puts the recipients of that development, the poorest people of Nepal, at the very center of the process—exactly where they should be.

One of the most promising elements of the Immediate Action Plan (made public on June 6) is HMG's commitment to begin the process of handing over public primary schools to community management. Specifically, the Plan promises to hand over a minimum of 100 schools to communities by mid July, as the first installment of what is understood to be a plan to hand over perhaps as many as 1,000 schools within the next fiscal year. This is not exactly new, as it is in keeping with the spirit of the Seventh Amendment of the Education Act last year. But, the way HMG plans to go about it is innovative and serious. This is where I see this "wireless" idea. Basically, HMG plans to offer any community that is ready to accept it the responsibility of managing public schools. HMG will continue to provide the same level of funding in the form of a block grants, but the school management committee, representing the community, would have the power to hire and fire teachers and decide, within some parameters, how much of the budget to spend on teaching staff and how much on other complementary inputs for education, such as schools supplies, lab equipment, library books, and even computers and internet connection. This stands in such sharp contrast to many past HMG programs, which tended to be top down. In the old way, HMG would have chosen which schools would be handed over to communities, with or without the consent of the communities.

Communities are of course not allowed to recruit just anyone as a teacher. They have to select teachers from among those who are certified as qualified teachers by the Teachers' Service Commission. Thus, quickly operationalizing the certification system is an important part of the implementation plan behind the move to hand over public schools to community management. To allow communities to select their own teachers (many of whom may well be the same teachers who are already in place), HMG is taking another important action. It declared in the Immediate Action Plan that the central government has frozen hiring of new primary school teachers. Given that there are many vacancies in teaching posts, this freeze will allow those government teachers who do not wish to work in community-managed schools or were not selected by the community to be transferred to another public school. That HMG has already made these critical arrangements shows seriousness of its intent.

In this new approach, any community can volunteer to take over the public primary school in the community, provided it can demonstrate some basic capacity to manage the school. Granted that many communities that have been seriously affected by the insurgency will not be able to get organized to take up on this offer. Many other communities may simply lack the capacity to manage a school today. Nonetheless, the proposition is being made to all communities with a primary public school. This gives communities a choice. This offers even to those who are unable to accept the offer now something to aspire to.

One of the things that experience of fighting poverty has taught us is that it is often not physical infrastructure or money that make the difference. Rather it is giving the poor the power to manage their own resources and the opportunity to define their own future. This offer by HMG to hand over public schools does exactly that. The beauty of this approach is it is uniquely suited to the current situation of insecurity. HMG does not have to send anyone out to each and every one of these communities to bring something physically. And while it may not physically or institutionally change anything immediately, I would contend that the message of choice will in itself represent a major step in empowering the communities. What better thing for HMG to offer to the poor?

I was told that even before the announcement of the Immediate Action Plan a headmaster from the Western Region, who happened to hear about the likelihood of such an offer, could not contain his excitement about the prospect and insisted on meeting some people in Kathmandu to find out more about it. A few District Development Committee Chairmen I have spoken with have also told me that many communities in their Districts would be eager to take up this challenge.

More "wireless" ideas?

As HMG and donors talked about the need for HMG to project its presence in rural areas in terms of its public services, many have come up with ideas of quick interventions. Most ideas were built around small infrastructure schemes, job creation, etc., including the ISDP. But not much has come out of these ideas. The insecurity situation has made these conventional interventions impractical. However, in the plan of transferring public schools to communities, HMG seems to have come up with a brilliant concept. It is simple, immediate, costless in terms of additional money HMG needs to spend, and has an enormous reach. Of course, this is not to say "wired" interventions are no longer necessary. Rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure, investment in new infrastructure investment, and other expanded public services will be necessary. But as an immediate response to the insurgency situation, one could not think of a better way to show to the people that HMG is serious about improving their lives.

Are there other "wireless" ideas to strengthen HMG's reach to the poor and combat the insurgency? not with arms alone but with opportunities and hope? I think there are. Another key element of the Immediate Action Plan is to give VDCs the responsibility to oversee the staff of sub-health posts. Again, the idea seems to be to offer VDCs this as an option, since some VDCs are too severely affected by the insurgency at the moment to take on that responsibility, and in some cases sub-health posts themselves are not operating. But the message of option is loud and clear. Like the transfer of public schools, the option can be offered nationwide and immediately.

Though it is not in the Immediate Action Plan, HMG may wish to consider a powerful extension of the first idea. There are about 3,000 community schools in operation, for which the communities have asked HMG for funding. After all, given HMG's commitment to free primary education, these communities do have a right to ask for significant support from HMG. But because of the lack of money, HMG has been very slow to respond to these requests. These are typically very small schools, perhaps having about four classrooms and serving a small number of children. A quick, back-of-the-envelope calculation by a World Bank colleague shows that the cost of running these 4,000 schools may be about $10 million a year. HMG may not be in the position to increase its education spending by $10 million right away. But what if HMG offered to begin a phased process of providing funding? Say, HMG starts by providing one fifth of the operating cost in the first year (about $2 million) and increases it by one fifth each year. This would make the proposition much more affordable. Yet, the help from HMG will reach all 3,000 communities (which may cover about 2 million people). "Wireless" and immediate. Besides, in addition to about 1,000 public schools that may be transferred to community management with HMG funding support in FY02/03, this second move could add 3,000 schools to this category (though the funding for the latter is partial for a few years).

I am sure there are many other similar ideas. But if the "wireless" development ideas remained distant promises never actually attained, it would prove useless, much like a wishful dream of attracting $1 billion in foreign investment to satellite-based phone services in Nepal. Therefore, it is critical that HMG delivers the promised "wireless" actions in the Immediate Action Plan. The citizens of Nepal should also remember that, like the wireless telecommunication services, it will be the demand that will make the technology work. I hope that many communities think of the benefits of the proposed changes in the way primary schools and sub-health posts are managed and take up the option now offered by HMG. It is an important opportunity for communities to define their own future.