Kids From Mustang All For Education

Life on high altitude is not difficult; it is very difficult.

- LB Thapa

The climate in these areas is harsh and it turns bad to worse during winter when temperature dips from -200C to -250C. Even daytime the average temperature is not enthusiastic…It ranges from 00C to 50C. One can imagine how difficult is life there.

Constantly plummeting temperature takes a toll on school going kids’ health. They are forced to remain in their houses. Skin biting cold brings life to standstill around the high Himalayas and schools are shut for at least four months. However, good news is that even when schools are shut in Mustang, the local administration has made it possible to run classes until schools are reopened.

By the effort of Mustang Gaon Palika, all the students of six schools of Mustang Charang Basic School, Manang Basic School, Dhatmar Basic School, Ghara Basic School, Yara Basic School and Saligram Basic School are brought to Pokhara where they study in a rented building for four months. They call this school a Samudaik Ghumti School (Community Mobile School).

Speaking with this scribe, Kamal Neupane, headmaster of Samudaik Ghumti School, Pokhara said, “In the past when we did not have facility to run classes in Pokhara, we had to close all schools in Mustang. Following the closure of all schools in winter, all the kids would migrate with their parents to different places of the country. This further caused low students’ retention rate in schools. However, things became much easier since 2014 as Mustang Gaon Palika had started paying all the expenses of these kids in Pokhara”.

The students of all six schools study together in Pokhara at Samudaik Ghumti School. At present, there are 7 boys and 14 girls in the school. The school is run from October to February. As temperature starts increasing from February, these kids once again migrate to Mustang and continue their studies without any interruption and the purpose of Samudaik Ghumti School is over in Pokhara.