When women are still supposed to keep themselves engaged in household chores, a women-managed school at Balewa of Ghorahi submetropolis-3 in Dang has earned an identity of a 'model' school in the entire locality.
The Ratri Primary School which was once closed due to shortage of students has now a good number of them and continues to attract students every year. The school was revived on the initiation of women themselves in 2073 BS, a year after its closure. Four female teachers including Chhama Subedi, Sushila Pokhrel, Rikha Gaha and Prabina Chaudhary are on the school management committee.
The English-medium school runs classes up to grade three. As school principal Subedi said, the sole community-run school was once closed, depriving the children of the area of educational opportunities. The credit for reviving it goes to local women, parents, the then education district office and these four teachers.
We decided to prod up the people in authority to restart classes as we strongly believe that no child shall be deprived of his/her right to education, she added. Besides, their roles as school managers serve as a testament that women are capable of taking the leadership in public sphere if they are given the opportunities.
"Our society still believes women are for the traditional roles such as a mother, caregiver and homemaker and so on, we have succeeded in challenging such notion and proving it wrong," she claimed.
The school is situated in the Tharu community-majority area and private-education is unaffordable for a majority of parents and guardians. All the school children are from poor economic status.
Every guardian, member on the management committee and teacher contributes Rs 10 each to the school operation fund. Guardians say that their children are no less competent than those of private boarding schools. The school uses computer and multimedia technology in the classroom.
