The Prajwal Shiksha Sadan English School is located in Chaughada village, in the rural Makawanpur province of Nepal, a region long affected by the country's insurgency troubles, some 180km from Kathmandu. When Prajwal first opened its doors in 1990, the school building comprised of a single room packed full of 125 students, ranging from ages 4 to 14. The building, described by Dan Mahashin (2006 Nepal Trip Report) as a ‘musty, narrow, windowless, tin-roofed cubby-hole’, didn’t seem a suitable location to house the enlightened goals of providing a modern education for all, regardless of gender, ethnicity, caste or financial background.
Since EofA began supporting the Prajwal School in 2002, we have helped address this imbalance. In the early years of our involvement we provided scholarships, textbooks, study materials, furniture, uniforms and funds for salaries. In the last two years, as EofA has grown, we have been able to provide greater support for the school. Working with the Nepal Education Support Trust – NEST (http://www.nestworld.org/), our Nepali partner-NGO, EofA has helped create a more positive learning environment for students. A new school building, owned by the local community, has been built on land bought and donated by EofA in 2004/5. This three-storey complex also houses a biogas plant, assembly area, teachers’ study and room for up to 170 students.
What makes the Prajwal School so special? Well, it is unique for a number of reasons. Here are a few:
Girls and ethnic minorities are actively encouraged to attend
Full scholarships are offered to financially disadvantaged students
English is the language of instruction in the classroom
The school is registered as a non-profit institutional trust—meaning that it is run under the guidance of local teachers, parents, councillors, etc.
In addition, the school’s status as a community-run institution allows it to avoid the long-term regional conflict by being independent of both Government and Maoist control. For all of these reasons, Prajwal has become a model for other schools in the region.
If you care to visit and see this inspirational school in person, volunteer homestays with families in the nearby Hetauda community can be organised in partnership with NEST.
