For a year now, students at Deval Basic School in Tumch, situated in Sarkegad Rural Municipality-1, have been compelled to study in a school building damaged by an earthquake. The classrooms display visible cracks, and there’s a scarcity of desks and benches. Students endure cold conditions, especially on rainy days when water seeps through the walls, creating puddles inside the classrooms.
Yamraj Jaisi, a 6th-grade student, lamented the lack of a proper learning environment, emphasizing that many students must sit on stones and wooden boards to study. He said that the situation is far from ideal. Samraj Katuwal, an 8th-grade student, echoed these concerns and explained that studying on improvised seating is challenging for everyone.
The majority of students have resorted to using wooden boards placed on stones as makeshift desks. Sharmila Rawat, an 8th-grade teacher at the school, revealed that she, too, is compelled to teach while sitting on the cold floor.
Kali Bahadur Rawat, the school’s principal, emphasized that approximately 220 children attend the school, forced to endure these suboptimal conditions due to the precarious state of the earthquake-damaged building. The school has requested support from the local rural municipality for new facilities, but so far, their pleas have gone unanswered.
Birjang Shahi, the Head of the Education Branch for Sarkegad Rural Municipality, indicated that the rural municipality plans to initiate school building repairs and provide desks and benches. However, when the issue was discussed with Vice President Chandrasingh Karki of the village council, he explained that the municipality’s current financial status does not permit the construction of new buildings. Nevertheless, he expressed a willingness to explore alternative options, including potential support from higher levels of government.
This region comprises 32 schools, and any large-scale infrastructure improvement would likely necessitate assistance or subsidies from the state or union government.
