Going to school meant walking four hours every day to Guheshowri Secondary School, the only school in Malim. [break]
Most children from the Lapcha community in Malmi have been discouraged by the tiresome, long walk to school from continuing their studies.
“I wanted to lead an educated life but the thought of walking a long distance every day always discouraged me,” said Kamala Lapcha, who is involved in agriculture besides going to school.
Currently, there are 15 students at Guheshowri Secondary School who trudge for hours to and from school every day.
Jit Bahadur Rai, principle of the school, also gave the same reason for the students´ inability to complete their schooling.
He said,“The number of students whose class attendance is irregular or have discontinued classes altogether is greater than the total number admitted.”
However, he also said that a lack of enthusiasm for education in the Lapcha community has aggravated the situation.
Meanwhile, Rai said that there are an equal numbers of students from other communities who have also left school midway. Most of the students in the school are from Santipur, Malim and Kanyam villages.
“In previous years, students from the Lapcha community were not able to get admission to school because of their poor economic status, but today it´s the lack of educational conscious in their community,” said Bal Chiring Lapcha, a Malim local.
“Our children join class 1 at 14, an age when other students start preparing for the SLC examination. This is a very sad reality that we have to put up with,” added Bal Chiring.
There are 65 Lapcha families in Malima and between them there are only three students who have passed the SLC.
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