Be Faithful, Engineers! :
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“Throw an egg from the top of Dharahara and you will hit an engineer”.We have produced a lot of engineers today. But sadly, the development of infrastructure in the nation is still in its nascent phase. Neither our engineers have become successful in inventing or developing something new, nor have they become able to implement things developed by others for the development of the nation. We often make fun saying that our country isn’t able to produce even a needle. What is the reason behind it? Who is to blame?
Undoubtedly, many of us might say that our politicians are the ones to blame. I was shocked upon hearing the words of a retired government official. According to him, the blame for the nation’s deplorable condition goes to the engineers. Every year Nepal receives billions of rupees for various development projects from the different donor organisations and INGOs. Various projects are run at places with this sum. But in collaboration with the contractors and other local leaders, engineers have learnt to fill their pockets. Development works are left behind. An engineer who has the capability and authority to investigate and punish any fraud is himself involved in the loot.
My own brother, who is a civil engineer, was offered a bribe two years ago while he was working in a project in Bajhang. He was released from the job after he declined the offer. But everyone is not like him. As job opportunities are rare, engineers are compelled to become part of the ongoing corruption. And slowly it becomes a habit. The local leaders, contractors, political parties and engineers are engaging in one scam after another.
The engineering profession has lost its charm today. Just a decade ago, it was regarded as a highly respectable profession in our society. But the failure of the engineers to develop the nation, increasing number of unemployed and unskilled engineers each year, and stories of corrupt and fraudulent engineers have diminished the faith of the people in engineering and the engineers.
Arguably, many of our engineers in the past were frauds. They fattened themselves at the expense of the nation. And our engineering institutions are producing unskilled engineers. Engineering colleges in our country are teaching to pass in the exams and not to learn. These institutions have become a business house. A complete overhaul of the courses, teaching mechanism, evaluation method and faculty orientation can help increase the production of competent engineers.
Engineers play an important role in the progress of the people, society and the nation as a whole. Using their inherent skills and knowledge, engineers should work for the benefit of others. Engineers are the ones who develop medical instruments for the doctors, an aeroplane for a pilot, machines for the industrialist and tractors for the farmer. Without an engineer, many other professions would not exist. We would have been in the Stone Age had engineering not progressed. It’s thus the duty of the engineers to put respect and dignity to their profession and work for the development of the nation.
