The reason: it is plantation season, and the students need to assist their parents in the fields.
“Most of the students remain absent during plantation season and it is very difficult to conduct classes,” said Rajendra Sangdel, who teaches maths and science at the school.
Most students in the school are from farming communities and minorities like Sarki, Damai, and Kami. Majority of them are from a weak economic background and cannot afford to go to private schools.
There are a total of 10 teachers in the school that conducts classes from nursery to the eighth grade.
The government-affiliated school lacks essential infrastructure. It doesn´t have proper classrooms, desks and books. Teachers conduct classes of more than one subject.
The school principal Dil Bhakta Dangol says the school doesn´t charge tuition fee and examination fee to the students.
“Unfortunately, this doesn´t help in the school´s budget to upgrade its infrastructure,” Dangol said.
The school has very few students in certain grades. In the fifth grade, there are just three students enrolled.
The fact that the school doesn´t have secondary-level classes has contributed to the less number of students, Sangdel said. “Parents prefer to send their children to schools that also run classes for the ninth and tenth grades,” he said.
The government pays salaries to eight teachers. But the school has no other source of income and is forced to run on donations from different organizations like Poor and Helpless Service Society, Chunikhel VDC, Looniva Bal Sarokar of Khokana, Room to Read of Patan Dhoka and Chandra Bhakta Bista, ex-teacher of the school.
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