Schools teaching traditional crafts

By Our Correspondent, Tanahun, Sept. 17: Parasar Secondary School is teaching traditional craft of making plates out of leaves.

Parasar Secondary School located in Vyas Municipality-5 is conserving the traditional craft of making dishware out of leaves, which is almost dying out. 

Students too are enthusiastic to learn this traditional craft. The growing use of plates and bowls made up of plastic has displaced the use of environment friendly plates and bowls.

The school is imparting practical knowledge of traditional craft along with regular courses. “Students are taught to make bowls and plates out of leaves as a part of vocational education,” said principal Ram Datta Poudel.

Students learn more through practical knowledge compared to traditional lecture method. Rita Bhandari, the coordinator of vocational education in the school, said, “Students of both gender are showing equal interest in learning this traditional craft.”

Teacher Manju Khanal said, “Serving dishes made out of plastic and paper are more convenient to use but they are not environment friendly, and harm the environment, thus use of plates made out of leaves can be an alternative to mitigate the use of plastic in daily life.”

Khanal, further stressed, “Children of this generation are forgetting our traditional craft so to conserve our traditional skills and environment, the students are trained to make dishware out of leaves.”

In rural villages dishware made out of leaves used to be a way of life, but technological advancement has gradually displaced our traditional crafts. Dishware made out of leaves is chiefly used in marriage ceremonies, different festivals and celebrations and while offering prayers to our deities.