February 28: Nim Lamu, 68, of Sandakpur Rural Municipality-5, Kalpokhari, is on the verge of going to India for her granddaughter's education.
"I have already searched for a room near Ribs School in Manebhanjyang, India to educate my granddaughter," he said. With the closure of public schools in lack of students, children from villages of Ilam in India border are compelled to go to study in Indian schools.
Children in villages of northern Ilam, bordering India, are forced to go to Indian schools due to lack of schools. Sonam Sherpa, a resident of Jaubari, said parents have been forced to go to India to educate their kids from primary level due to closure of schools in Jaubari, Meghma, Kalpokhari and other places of highland areas having low population density and settlement.
It has been over eight years since the Rastriya Primary School in Jaubari remained shut. The school operating class from 1 to 5 has remained closed in 2072 BS, reportedly due to inadequate number of students.
At present, around 15 children from this area are studying at Ribs School in Manebhanjyang. Doma Sherpa, who lives in Manebhanjyang to educate her child, said she spends IRs 15,000 to 18,000 a month.
"It would have been easier to teach children in our own country, but there is no school, everything has been ruined,” laments Sherpa.
Not only Jaubari, Saraswati Primary School at Megma of Maijogmai-2 as well as another primary school at Kalpokhari of Sandakpur-5 and a primary school at Majuwa of Sandakpur-5 have been closed, says Pasang Tshiring Sherpa, former principal of Rastriya Primary School, Jaubari.
According to Sherpa, Nepali children do not even know about Nepal's nationality and self-respect while studying in India. The closed schools have become dilapidated.
The Armed Police Force (APF) had been stationed at the Rastriya Primary School in Jaubari some time ago. The armed forces have constructed their own building near the school. So far, the concerned bodies have not shown any interest in running schools in the border areas. -- RSS
