(De)valuing higher education: educated youth, generational differences and a changing educational landscape in Kathmandu, Nepal

Within a single generation Nepal has seen a tremendous increase in higher education opportunities. This rapid growth has encouraged the participation of many young people from social groups previously unrepresented at university. A more questionable consequence however has been the growing divergence and complexity of the educational landscape which is particularly noticeable within the capital city. Focusing on the urban space, this paper discusses the spatial and motivational implications of these somewhat contradictory developments for the young generation of public university students and their future orientations. In particular, I argue that the young generation is in an ambiguous position – negotiating parental expectations of high educational attainments, and, the ominous devaluation of public education. Building on interdisciplinary research into youth geographies, the sociology of education and generational studies, I explore what students' spatial representations reveal about their attempts to negotiate these conflicting motivations and map out potential future pathways.