DANG, June 24: There are many things that political parties do to spread their ideologies. But opening a school to instill revolutionary ideologies in young children is unique to a school here. Though funded by state, the school has established itself as ground for grooming revolutionaries against injustice. 

Over the last two months, Chairperson Pushpakamal Dahal and senior leader Ganeshman Singh of CPN Maoist Center, and another Maoist leader Netra Bikram Chanda visited the school. On their visit, the etiquette for welcome and greetings to Maoist leaders is quite different. They neither use ‘Namaskar’ nor Good Morning/Afternoon to use greet Maoist leaders. 400 students stand before the visitors and greet them with Lal Salam meaning long live revolution, loudly while raising closed fists. 

The school, Martyr Memorial Residential Higher Secondary School, situated in Manpur area of the district was founded following the end of Maoist insurgency to teach students of martyr family. The government spends Rs 1.2 million per month to operate the school. Of the total funds, around 150 million rupees is spent for staff remuneration and residential expenses alone. 

A total of 415 students are studying in the school. The manner of welcome and greetings to Maoist leaders is evident for the fact that the students are children of Maoist leaders and cadres who got martyrdom during the war era. This may be the reason behind the school’s popularity as Maoist’s School in the locality. 

“Yes, it’s true that the school is well known as the Maoist School,” school’s Principal Narayan Paudel said.  Some locals feel that school children, who are greeting with Lal Salam from their tender age, are filled with ‘revolutionary’ intuition. Anger toward the state for the killing of their parent or family member which is inside them is getting further fueled with the practice of revolutionary slogans and manner to greet and welcome the leaders. A sort of revenge for the murder of their family within their mind can be read. 

School Principal Paudel told Republica that the children have not forgotten the tragic incident of their parents. This has encouraged them to incline towards revolutionary opinions. “Majority of students have already developed their attitude to retaliate for the bloods of their parents,” he said. 

The school has created an environment that boosts revenge from a very small age. School teachers themselves are providing the students with revolutionary lessons. They illustrate the incidents of war era to motivate the students to fight against injustice, School Principal Paudel informed.

“Reminding them of the sacrifice of their parents, we motivate the students to fight against injustice and repression. We do not want to stop their revolutionary thought,.”

- Narayan Paudel, Principal.

It is apparent that the school is providing students with Maoist education. Due to their revolutionary thoughts, they seek the value of their parent’s bloods whenever they interact with Maoist leaders, according to Principal Paudel. He informed that Maoist leaders on their visit to the school also provide revolutionary lessons to the children. 

“Half of our revolution is still remaining,” CPN Maoist Center Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal told the students, who assembled to welcome and greet him in the school three months ago. “The operation of the school for the children of the martyr family is just a fifty per cent of revolution.  We have yet to provide you complete justice.” 

Although the school provides them education based on the government’s curriculum, frequent visits of the Maoist leaders and lessons provided to them further motivates them to become revolutionary. 

Such schools were founded in every development region seven years ago to impart education to the children of the martyr family, who are either victims of the state or Maoists. The then government had provided hundreds of millions to a non-government organization (NGO), Shahid Pratisthan, for establishing five schools in the regions. The NGO still manages funds for the schools. 

Although these schools are meant to provide education to children of martyr families from both former rebel and state, this has not been the case with this school. None of the children from the family members killed by former Maoist rebels are studying in the school. All 415 children studying in the school belong to the Maoist families killed during the Maoist insurgency.  They are from 15 districts of mid-western region, including Dang. 
When asked why the school does not have any child of the families killed by Maoists during war era, Paudel said, those children have money to get enrolled in other school, but the children of deceased Maoists have no option other than to enroll here. 

Meanwhile, Acting District Education Officer Dandapani Ghimire admitted that the school has its own rule. “As the school is run with the direct instruction from the Ministry of Education, District Education Office cannot interfere in its affairs,” he said adding that the school can make arbitrary decisions. 
 

 
• politics
 
• nepal
 
• revolution
 
• sahid shchool
 
• grooming
 
• injustice
 
• establish