“I left school after class 8 and my younger sister after SLC,” said Binakumari Lama of Chaughare VDC- 8 in Lalitpur district. [break]“For any further education one has to walk hours to Lele,” she added.
According to Suman Lama, another local, he would definitely have completed at least the higher secondary level had there been such a school within walking distance. “From my batch only three students have continued with their studies. It takes them three hours to get to school in Lele and the same amount of time to get back home,” added Suman who also left school after class 8. Three of his classmates joined Saraswati Higher Secondary School (SHSS) in Lele two years ago.
It is very unfortunate for children born here and the more so as they are poor, notes Ram Prasad Timilsinna, principal of Baag Bhairav secondary school, the only school in Chaughare VDC of Lalitpur district. “Distance-wise Chaughare is just 25 kilometers from the capital. But when it comes to facilities, it is no better off than a remote area like Humla, and most of the people are equally poor and too ignorant to send their children to Kathmandu for hither studies,” he remarked.
According to Timilsinna, following rounds of visits to the district education office over many years, the school was upgraded to secondary level just last year and many students in the village, mostly girls, left their studies after grade 8. “While on one hand, the girls themselves are not very keen on further studies, parents also do not take it positively. So it would be better if we could provide them the facility right here.”
However, Timilsinna is least hopeful about higher level schooling here as the district education officer told him that he should "first rejoice that the school has been upgraded to secondary level rather than worry about the next level".
VDC office records show that the population in the area is around 25,000 and is dominated by the Tamang community. While the literacy rate and awareness level of the community is already very low, the future does not look very promising as the next generation is still facing the lack of educational facilities.
Talking to Republica, DEO Manakaji Shrestha said that the country is not in a position to add to the teacher quotas for school upgrading. “We understand the problem. But what to do, there is no such program for now nor any in the pipeline. There are already seven government teachers in the schools,” he said.
Related story
Agreement still elusive as ruling parties intensify serious neg...
_20240311121839.jpg)
