Residential and mobile education draws students to Upper Mustang

By Harikrishna Sharma,Mustang, May 2: Khagendra B.K. from Jajarkot district is currently studying in Grade 6 at Divya Deep Secondary School in Chhoser, Ward No. 2 of Lomanthang Rural Municipality in Upper Mustang. 

Coming from a family affected by the earthquake, Khagendra managed to reach Mustang with the help of his relatives. Like him, Ashish B.K. from Rukum West has enrolled in Grade 7, while Kalpana Nepali and Raj Nepali from Udayapur have already joined Grade 8 at the same school.

Divya Deep Secondary School, the only secondary-level school in Upper Mustang, now hosts 26 students from other districts such as Myagdi, Baglung, Dhanusha, and Rupandehi, according to Headmaster Kamalesh Kumar Tripathi.

 “This year, we’ve seen a rise in admissions from outside the district,” he said. “Our residential facilities have significantly increased the school’s appeal among students from elsewhere.”

Tripathi added that the school has become especially attractive to orphans and children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, thanks to its Himalayan Residential Scholarship Programme, which provides support including uniforms, computers, and other necessities. 

Currently, the school accommodates 13 children in its early childhood development programme and 65 students from Grade 1 to Grade 10.

Interest from outside districts is also driven by the school's unique mobile education system. For six months each year, Divya Deep operates out of its own four-storey building in Bijaypur, Pokhara, offering an alternative during the harsh winter months in Mustang. 

This seasonal shift has contributed to the school’s increasing popularity, said School Management Committee Chairperson Surwan Bisht. “We ensure that students receive all necessary services and have also launched promotional campaigns outside Mustang,” Bisht said. Each student enrolled through the Himalayan Residential Scholarship receives an annual grant of Rs. 5,000.

In a noteworthy show of community support, local elder Tashi Yadzin has donated two ropanis and three aanas of land for the construction of an earthquake-resistant dormitory, with an estimated budget of Rs. 50 million. The school is strategically located near the road leading to the Korala border crossing with China, attracting students from both Lomanthang and the neighbouring Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality.

Rameshwar Lamichhane, head of the Education Development and Coordination Unit in Mustang, said that last year, there were 3,737 students enrolled across the district’s five local units. These included eight secondary schools, 27 basic schools, two monastic schools, and one residential secondary school.

 “This year’s enrolment campaign is ongoing, so updated figures are still being compiled,” Lamichhane said. “Mobile education is available in eleven schools across Mustang, which operate in Pokhara during winter. This is another reason why students from outside the district are increasingly choosing to study here.”