More and more schools are being opened all over Nepal, as people are aware of the importance of education. The government builds most schools. However, some children from neighbouring villages walk for a few hours to and from a school in a “nearby” village. Many villages have taken the initiative to start schools on their resources or ask trekkers to help establish a school in their village if they are on the trekking routes. If a village is fortunate enough to be on a trekking route, they ask for donations from passing trekkers to finance their needs, such as paying the teachers’ salaries. The government takes over schools like this after a few years; however, due to the limited number of teachers provided, the village committees to give the salary of the extra teachers they have hired.
The uniqueness of the school.
When we reached the school, the assembly was taking place. We noticed some building construction taking place as some of the school buildings had collapsed during the April 2015 earthquake. The students were smartly uniformed in traditional dress, as mentioned earlier. The school manager was kind enough to speak to us. They even had a Bon (an ancient religion that predates Tibetan Buddhism) Monastery within the school’s compound. We were informed that Bon monks, along with Nepali, English languages teach Tibetan and religion. We visited the monastery, and I asked about the unfamiliar murals being painted on the walls. On the right side of the wall next to the entrance, the paintings told the tale of the two Swiss students visiting the area, the villagers asking for donations in Switzerland and the United States. On the left side of the wall next to the door was a mural of how their ancestors dressed and lived and how the youths dress these days. The manager informed us this was to remind the students of their rich roots. I found this great value to educate and tell the students about their heritage and how it was founded, like in most high Himalayan regions of Nepal. The schools opened from March to the end of October and are closed for the winter from November through February.
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