The announcement was made by the VDC after discussions with Save the Children, Samaj Jagaran Kendra and the Village Education Committee (VEC). All the children from the VDC will now be will be able to study free of cost up to primary level and no one will be deprived of education, according to locals. There are currently eight schools in Dasharathpur that offer primary-level education.
As per the announcement, schools will not be allowed to collect fees from primary-level students; all children should be enrolled in school up to primary level; children should not be working as laborers; every child must have birth certificate; child marriage is prohibited; schools should be free from corporal punishments and should conduct activities focused at children´s education. A code of conduct has also been implemented for teachers, students and guardians.
A VEC member and VDC Secretary Toyanath Sharma said that all children above five years in Dasharathpur are going to school. Six year old Ghanashyam Rokaya, a handicapped child, was the only one who had been out of school. District Education Officer Bhakta Bahadur Dhakal enrolled Ghanashyam into a school on Sunday. There are a total of 843 children of school-going age in Dasharathpur.
The determination of the locals to provide free education should teach the government a lesson, said Dhakal at the announcement function. “Garpan started what the government has not been able to implement, now other VDCs are following its footsteps,” said Dhakal.
Dasharathpur VDC and Samaj Jagaran Kendra have jointly put in Rs 150,000 to implement the program. Schools within the VDC have established a fund which will be divided according to the number of students. All schools have agreed to contribute 2 per cent of their incomes in order to sustain the fund, said Purna Prasad Paudel, chairperson of the Samaj Jagaran Kendra.
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