This month is all about our students in Chitwan. Neelam Dhungel's second installment of interviews joins a longer piece of Bimina Ranjith for an in-depth look at student life in Chitwan.

Students in Chitwan

To recap from last month’s newsletter, our volunteers in Nepal interviewed students and teachers in Chitwan. While all NCEF-sponsored students face some hardships, the multitude of factors which work against them vary case by case. In October we heard from students who have lost parents, who have been forced to migrate due to natural disasters, and whose family lives are not the most conducive to education and study. Similarly, teachers expressed their frustration at institutional bureaucracy and at educational challenges created by poverty and difficult family situations.

Still, NCEF students are children: they enjoy playing, take special interest in their favorite subjects, and talk excitedly about their favorite activities. Lila, an eighth grader, loves musical chairs and Math while Jyoti, a sixth grader, prefers Science class and helping her sister with homework. Bonu in Grade 6 struggles with English class but enjoys Math while Monica, Grade 7, works hard to get through at least Grade 10 -- the farthest of anyone in her family. Each family is different, but with the help of your donations NCEF is able to alleviate some of their burden, giving students the chance to create a different life for themselves.

A Further Look into Student Life in Chitwan

by Bimina Ranjit

The children of Shree Nimna Madhyamik Bidhyalaya Kamalpur wait to be interviewed after school hours in Kamalpur, Padampur in Chitwan. There is no school bus service, so all of them walk to school which could take from 5 minutes up to an hour. Most of the children here are sponsored by NCEF scholarship program. Our volunteers talked with some of the students about school and their lives and though some must have been a bit nervous and shy, their stories were nevertheless very interesting.

One of the eighth graders, Sundar, is part of a family which was victimized by the war between government and Maoist forces. He lost his mother in the tragedy and is raised by his father. He walks 30 minutes to come to school every day. “My favorite subject is Science,” says Sundar. “I like that science is inventive and I want to grow up and become a scientist and invent something for humanity.”

Sundar borrows books from the school library and the book he likes most is called The World's Great Scientists. “My favorite scientist is Marconi, who invented the radio. He gave the people of the world an opportunity to gather useful information through media,” Sundar explains.

The school only provides education until eighth grade, so Sundar will soon have to find a high school for his further education and he intends to do just that. “I love studying,” he says.

But there is another student in the room from the same class who claims he is better than Sundar in studies, a claim his teachers confirm. His name is Lila. “Math is easy and it’s fun, hence it is my favorite subject. I also do like science,” says Lila. “I try my best and last exam I scored around 80 out of 100 in maths.”

All students agree that school is fun and their teachers are friendly. The teacher-student relation is very strong in this school. Teachers offer to help the students at any time and most students know where their teachers live; students are welcome to go by their teachers’ houses if they have any questions or problems, even after school hours.

Another student, a sixth grader named Laxman, lives fairly close. He walks 10 minutes to get to school every day. His parents are farmers, but they have not given him lots of chores so he goes home and studies most evenings. He wants to study at least until high school.  “My favorite subject is Nepali, I find it easy,” says Laxman. “And I love playing Tato Aloo (Hot potato).”

Many of the children tell interesting stories like these, and they thank you for your support.