It's virtually impossible to address a social ill without the society first acknowledging it for what it is. When the education system does NOT do that, what chance is there at all of there even being a discourse about it, forget take steps to address it?! That is the situation with the caste system in Nepal.
I have come to the conclusion that Nepalis in general struggle to empathize with fellow Nepalis who are, for example, suffering for whatever reason. The reason behind that is their low power of imagination.
Why are their power of imagination low? Caste system induced attitude, lack of travel experience, poor quality of both formal and informal education, and lack of reading culture.
Because of the LONG social, political and economic casteist history of Nepal, the hill co-called High Caste Hindus benefit from many (structural) privileges, while others are disadvantaged. But what percent in Nepal are aware of that, forget doing something actively in their everyday lives to counter their devastating impacts? What percent are even knowledgeable about what caste privilege is? This blog post summarizes some of that which constitutes caste privilege.
The caste system has corrupted the minds of a vast majority of Nepalis, if not all. This is yet another example of how it has corrupted the minds of the Hill so-called High Caste Hindus.
Blinded as they are by structural privilege and their sense of entitlement their social group has enjoyed for generations, they demonstrate subtle internalized casteism stemming from their unconscious belief in superiority and greater knowledgeability.
Nepali society suffers greatly from the legacies of our long casteist history. One of the legacies is that caste can be triggering. What it triggers and how depends on the individual and more importantly on their caste. However, the abysmally poor quality of education system and poor level of education of the population of Nepal means that most don't know much about that, and worse react inappropriately when those who are triggered speak up.
BUT those who don't know, can learn about all that from those small numbers who are speaking up. All that is required of them is to listen! That's it.
Given how money has been the driving force behind what a majority do in Nepal and given how little people with power and influence value other people's lives, even during calamitous times -- such the aftermath of the 2015 earthquakes and the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic--we in Nepal must education children about empathy at home and school and raise them to be compassionate human beings.
Of course, there are at least a few different ways of doing that.