Bajura students attend classes even on holidays

BY SHER BAHADUR SHARKI

Bajura, Nov. 8: Children who could not attend school for six months in a year have now started attending school even on Saturdays and holidays.

Students of Siddheshwori Basic School of Budinanda Municipality-7 situated at northeast part of the district have started attending school even during the holidays. 

After the school management committee decided to teach students on Saturdays and holidays, children are attending schools on off days.

Tula Bahudar Rawat, Principal of Siddheshwori Basic School, said that many children from Bhote community study in this school and they are found reluctant to attend school regularly. 

So, they are kept in the school to teach them during holidays on Saturdays, said Rawat. 

“Many children are engaged in rearing sheep and goat with their parents and they miss school most of the time. Most children miss their classes during winter due to which they are very poor in study,” said Rawat. 

The school management committee has provided residence facility for students of Bhote community for at least six months to improve their education, added Rawat.  Most of the Bhote communities of the Himalayan region move to the plain areas for sheep rearing in the winter months and take their children with them.

The school management committee decided to keep children in school from this year to not let students miss their classes.   With the aim of regularising those children who do not attend school in the winter months due to the lack of protection at home, the school management committee decided to keep them in the school from this year. 

After the school was operated as a residential school from this year, the children were able to study even on Saturdays and holidays, said locals. 

Tek Bahadur Thapa (Bhote) of Budhinanda Municipality-7 said that the new generation here has been earning their livelihood only by rearing sheep and goats. 

He said that during the winter months, there is heavy snow in the Himalayan region, so there is a problem for the sheep and goats to graze. 

Since there is no one to take care of the children at home while doing business, their children are compelled to skip classes. 

“We are now happy as we can keep our children safe at school and do our business,” said Thapa.  The school has provided food and shelter to the children.