The second full school year is in full swing at the Shree Santi Primary School. We’re in the middle of hiring an extra teacher now that we’ve added a second grade class after all 25 of our first-grade students passed the government’s final exam last spring.
Overall, this year we have 63 students in kindergarten, first and second grade. We’re hoping to repeat our success of last spring, when our attendance rate reached 91%.
Recently, we rewarded our teachers in Ramche with a raise, so that their salaries are equal with those of teachers at government-run schools. This means they make a little less than $100 per month.
This is a time for celebration in Nepal, because the end of September is the time for the biggest festival of the year, Dashain. It’s typical for Nepalis to gather with their family for the festival and give offerings to the goddess Durga.
We may be taking a short break, but we’ve been busy the past few months. In addition to overseeing our school in Ramche, Lila Jung Gurung, our project coordinator, has been searching for our next school project. We’re happy to announce that he has found a community that needs our help and is eager to donate labor and other resources.
The people of Mahakali are similar to Ramche: poor subsistence farmers, mostly from the Tamang ethnic minority, living in a remote mountain village inaccessible by car. The Mahakali Lower Secondary School, a 90-minute walk from Ramche, has fallen into disrepair and the local community has asked us to help.
We plan to rebuild the school’s toilets and drinking water facilities, repair a leaky roof and crumbling plaster, fix the second-story balcony, and make new desks and chairs. More than 150 students, up to grade seven, attend the school.
Work will begin in the coming weeks.
Our documentary about life in Ramche and the construction of the school.
May 2008
The school is finished!
January 2008
Construction of the Santi Primary School in Ramche,
Nepal, is more than halfway completed and on schedule
to open for classes in April, the start of the Nepali
school year.
When the school opens, we estimate that two or three
teachers will greet about 60 students, with enrollment
expected to increase each year as we add one
additional grade level.
The six-room building is made entirely of stone, with
wooden frames for windows and doors. More than 60
people are working on the construction, with simple
tools like hammers, picks and shovels; a table saw is
the only piece of electrical equipment.
Before construction could begin, the site, which was
previously used as terraced farmland, had to be
leveled. While there is some stone on the grounds,
most of the stone used for construction has been
carried from nearby areas of the mountain, usually in
a wicker basket carried over the shoulders, with a
strap around the forehead.
It’s rare that a stone can simply be added to an
existing wall without first chiseling it into the
proper shape, and the construction site is typically
filled with the clinky sound of metal meeting stone.
Skilled wall builders select large stones that are
flat and squarish and place them in two parallel rows,
with smaller pieces used to fill the areas in between.
The walls are approximately 18 inches thick.
The wood used in construction has come from various
places, but like the stone, all of it had to be
transported to the site by hand. Some beams were
purchased and carried up the mountain while workers
from Ramche cut down some trees about a 40 minute walk
from the site.
In addition to the door and window frames, wood will
also be used to make desks and chairs.
Besides the school building, which will consist of
five classrooms and a library, there is enough space
on the grounds for a small playground and a separate
building for toilets.
Once construction is completed, probably by late
February, the focus of our work will turn to
establishing income-generation projects that the
community can implement to pay for books, supplies and
teacher salaries.
Local political and education officials have pledged
their support for the school, including funds to pay
teacher salaries. The process of registering the
school with the government has also begun.
11/14/2007 The Baltimore City Paper
Distance Learning: Catonsville Native Brings Fundraising Effort For Nepal School to Baltimore http://www.citypaper.com
6/7/2007 The Catonsville Times
Need for school in far-off land hits home for native http://news.mywebpal.com
