Although the fees may not be that big a deal for the children from well-off families, those like Sagar and Himal, who live in extreme poverty, the little amount asked by their school could force them to quit school forever.Sagar, 14, and his friend Himal Thapamagar,13, had walked two days from their village to reach Tamghas, the district headquarters of Gulmi, to find work so that they could earn their school fees.
"Last year, too, I came here to earn money for my school fee during summer vacation," said Sagar, a ninth-grader at Arkha Secondary School at Pyuthan, who was found carrying a sack of cement weighing 50 kg at Tamghas. His parents, who are farmers, lack the means to pay the fees.
Paying the school fee of five children, feeding them, and meeting other basic needs is a huge struggle for them. "I can feel their hardships. To be able to support them makes me feel relieved," said Sagar.
His friend Himal, a third-grader at the same school, had left home for the first time in his life. "I am missing my younger siblings and mother a lot," said Himal. He said that he was not interested to work at a construction site but that he has no choice. "When I told my mother about my plan to go for work, she asked me to take care of myself," added Himal. He said that he has not spoken with his parents since he left home.
Both Sagar and Himal have been working as construction laborers in Tamghas. Contractors prefer underage children as they do not ask for high wage claimed by adult workers.
"It is too hard for me to carry 50 kg sacks," complained Himal, who had not eaten anything since morning.
Sagar and Himal are few among the thousands of children who give up study permanently every year due to various reasons, mainly poverty. As per the government data, one fourth of students enrolled at class one do not make it to grade 10 and only 47 percent of them pass the SLC exam. "It seems that our education system is not for all, "educationist Bishnu Karki said, adding that even the government and concerned authorities have failed to retain children in schools.
According to educationist Karki, school dropouts are unlikely to resume their studies in future. "Even scholarships provided by the government have failed to keep the students in school," added Karki.
The government has declared that education should be free at all government schools, but the schools demand fees under various pretexts.
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