Kathmandu: Children from the minority Chepang community have recently begun achieving remarkable results in their school examinations. Kandeshwori Basic School, located in Kanda of Rapti Municipality-13, where only Chepang community children study, was declared the best school in this year’s class eight examinations at the local level. This achievement comes in the first year of the school offering grade eight education.
According to National News Agency Nepal, School Headteacher Bal Krishna Thapaliya noted that Chepang students are excelling in their studies following the establishment of a school with a residential facility. Out of 13 Chepang students who appeared in the Grade Eight examination, one student secured an A+ grade, seven students received an A, and two students obtained a B+. Thapaliya expressed happiness with the results, attributing the success to the hard work of both teachers and students.
Thapaliya further mentioned that the educational performance of Chepang students has improved after the Laxmi Foundation set up a hostel at the school, enabling students to study from 4:00 am to 9:00 pm each day. The school is one of 27 community schools in Rapti Municipality, three of which, including Kandeshwori School, achieved a 100% pass rate in the Grade Eight examination, shared Laxmi Lamichhane, Technical Assistant at the Education Section of the Municipality.
Lamichhane highlighted that the school has set an example of how an institution in a remote area can compete with those in urban settings. Kanda is noted as the most remote place in the Chitwan district. Local resident Sita Bahadur Chepang remarked on the improvements in education in an area lacking transport and electricity facilities, noting a growing interest in education among Chepang children and a developing sentiment among guardians about the importance of sending their children to school.
The Laxmi Foundation and Miteri Foundation have been working to uplift the Chepang community and improve children’s education, considering the poverty prevalent among the community. Laxmi Foundation operates a hostel while Miteri Foundation has facilitated teaching up to class eight. Headmaster Thapaliya shared that previously, many Chepang children had to discontinue their education after class three.
Despite these successes, the school faces challenges, including a lack of teacher quotas, even as it runs educational activities up to grade eight with donor support. Currently, the school has seven teacher positions and 150 students, but it still lacks essential facilities such as toilets and a library.