As the clock hit 10:00 am on Monday, students and teachers of Shree Saraswati Basic School in Manohara gathered at the community building of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-1.
Students were asking each other, “Why was our school demolished?” No one had an answer. The government, in the course of clearing squatter settlements near rivers and streams, had also demolished the school in Manohara.
After the school building was torn down, they gathered at the community building to continue their studies. They had assembled in accordance with the government’s decision to begin enrollment from April 28 and classes from March 4. But there were no classrooms to study in.
When we arrived on Monday morning, the teachers were busy arranging rooms. Some were pitching tents, others were arranging desks and benches. Students were also carrying desks and benches themselves.
Some parents had come to the community building to enrol their children.
“We can’t afford private schools. This school is near our home, so we’ll enrol here,” says parent Tik Maya Shrestha to Onlinekhabar. “My children study in grades 6 and 7. We can’t send them far away.”
Principal Indira Mahat was coordinating with the municipality. She arranged two rooms temporarily to run multi-grade classes.
“Students’ education must not stop. We will teach even if we have to run multi-grade classes,” she says. “I am coordinating with the municipality and the ward chairperson.”
For some classes, tents have been pitched in the courtyard of the community building itself. The school has prepared to teach by placing desks and benches right there in the courtyard.
She has also been receiving repeated calls from parents and students regarding enrollment and classes.
“Children are not willing to go elsewhere. This is the only community school in Ward No. 1. Merging is also problematic. Students are not in a position to go far,” she says. “We didn’t call the children to the community building either; they came on their own.”
This school, which teaches up to grade 8, has 275 students. However, 170 have so far come for enrollment. Fifteen teachers work at this school. After the school building was demolished, teachers, parents, and students were all left in a difficult situation.
“No notice was given before the demolition. Since it is a government building, we thought nothing would happen. We only realised it would be demolished when the police themselves started removing belongings,” says Principal Mahat.
She also complained that they were unable to remove some items in time.
“We couldn’t even take out the CCTV cameras or the router. The library books got buried,” she says. “Fortunately, we managed to move the students’ new textbooks.”
The ward office is located near the community building, and the students’ books are currently being stored there.
Parent Meen Kumari Magar had come to drop off her third-grade son.
“My workplace and the school are nearby. It’s easy to drop off and pick up,” she says.
The school building, constructed in 2005 AD, was demolished by the government using a bulldozer, disrupting the education of its students.
The bulldozer also reached the Buddha Jyoti Udyan Basic School building in Balaju, Kathmandu Metropolitan City-16. The school has now been relocated to Tarun Secondary School. Of the 120 students enrolled at this school, 110 had already been admitted. But after the building was demolished, the students scattered.
“We have started classes at Tarun Secondary School. We have also received a letter from the metropolitan city office regarding the transfer,” says Principal Shanta Ram Shrestha. “Today, 40 students have come.”
He said the school’s materials have also been moved to Tarun. The school had a 16-room building, but after the government demolished it, the school was forced to seek shelter elsewhere. Established in 1996, this school has 14 teachers and staff.
The Bal Kalyan Basic School in Balaju, also demolished by the government, has been relocated to Yuvak Secondary School. This school had 120 students enrolled.
“We have placed all materials at Yuvak Secondary School. Teachers and staff have been reporting for duty there,” says Principal Arjun Mudbhari. “Students will also come to this school.”
He said it is only a temporary transfer for now.
“The transfer is for the time being until another arrangement is made,” he says. Established in 1992, this school has 11 teachers and staff.
However, Kathmandu Metropolitan City has indicated it plans to proceed with merging the schools.
“We have managed one at Tarun and another at Yuvak Secondary School. Now it will move into the merger process,” says Kathmandu Metropolitan City spokesperson Nabin Manandhar.
