The Ministry of Education (MoE) has recently decided to provide necessary budget for all the Rana-era schools, which are in a dilapidated state, to upgrade their physical infrastructure. The MoE, which received the biggest pie of the national budget, has allocated more than Rs 70 million for upgrading historic schools in this fiscal year.[break]
The MoE, through District Education Offices (DEOs), has asked all schools built before February 18 of 1951, the day the 104-year Rana regime fell, ushering in democracy, to send their fund requirement statements within 15 days.
MoE officials say that the grant will be distributed to the pre-1951 schools only after thorough scrutiny of their present conditions. "Only those schools that are genuinely in dilapidated conditions will receive grant," an MoE official told Republica. "We presume that not all the Rana-era schools are in need of funds."
At present, out of the total 32,130 schools, only 321 schools were constructed before February 18, 1951. Of them, only about a dozen schools are of secondary levels.
"Why we are providing grant to pre-1951 schools is they hold historic significance," Hari Prasad Lamsal, under secretary at MoE, said. "However, this is not the single reason. In fact, all pre-1951 schools are in strategically important locations. None of them is in isolated place and these schools can teach more students."
According to him, if only a few schools come up with their proposals, then MoE can draw a new cutoff date. "We are wondering if we can draw a new cutoff date of December 15 1960, the day King Mahendra overthrew democracy," he said. "If we fix this cutoff date then many more schools will be eligible for the grant."
Although a few pre-1951 schools are still in good conditions, many have long been facing the dearth of budget for maintenance or reconstrution of their buildings. Shanti Vidya Griha Higher Secondary School, which was set up in 1949 in Kathmandu, is one example.
Though its outer appearance is like that of a modern school, one of the blocks of the school is in dilapidated condition and could collapse anytime.
"This building, where students up to grade three study, was built 50 years ago using mud and bricks. We fear it could collapse soon," Mukunda Shrestha, principal of the school, said. "We were asked to submit our proposal and have sought Rs 9 million for constructing a new block."
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