Himalayan Trust
Kathmandu, Nepal
I had the pleasure of talking with Pasang Sherpa, acting administrator of The Himalayan Trust, an outstanding organization based in Kathmandu that represents the legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Everest, to the people of the Solo Khumbu region of Nepal. The Himalayan Trust is responsible for supporting 63 schools, including high schools and primary schools, in addition to hospitals and infrastructure projects in the region. The support given to schools often includes paying the salaries of teachers in areas such as the arts, and Sherpa language, as well as librarians, and providing for classroom materials, but has also extended to new technology and teacher training. After the recent death of Sir Hillary, the focus of the trust has been shifted to sustaining existing schools and projects, Hillary built the Trust from scratch and often his own two hands, and over the years, the organization has maintained its on the ground focus and dedication. Most of the current funding for the Trust comes from the New Zealand government and the American Himalayan Foundation. We sat in the old colonial building and spoke about the Trust's current activities, challenges and hopes for the students in the Khumbu region, and what kind of exciting new initiatives the Trust is enacting moving forward.
What are the sources of books available to the schools?
The Trust has supported the local schools with text books and materials since the 1970's. Textbooks are printed in Kathmandu by the government-the Trust has to buy from the government press. Currently, only grades 9 and 10 are not supported by the government, and the Trust fills this gap. Library materials are requested by the teachers during the December break and these requests are sent to the standing committee. Our partner, Room to Read, has supported all of the 63 schools with outside reading materials in the past.
Are the books available in both English and Nepali?
The books provided by Room to Read are in Nepali and English. Textbooks are all in Nepali, except the English language books. (I had a chance to look through the materials printed by Room to Read, and they were quite excellent-great usage of pictures and Nepali-English translations, as well as incorporating local myths and legends to reinforce the local cultures of the area)
Are there programs to specifically target women, as the literacy rate for women far lags the rate for men in most of the country?
From the most current data, the number of boys and girls enrolled in the schools has been leveling off. Nowadays, most of the parents have been educated and see the boys and the girls as equal and are more familiar with the modern world and modern education. This is less of a problem than in the rest of Nepal. (In the more rural areas, most affected by the ancient caste system, the female literacy rate of Nepal hovers around 14%, one of the lowest rates in the world. The Khumbu region and its primarily Buddhist inhabitants have been spared much of the inequalities that most of the nation faces, in this regard).
Are there any technical training initiatives available for the students?
The government provides the vast majority of technical training, which is announced in the national newspaper, and all students who are past grade 10 can apply to these government institutes. On a more local level, for the youth of the Khumbu, there was also an electrical training provided in Lukla (a main gateway town in the Khumbu) two times for youths who were interested; this provided basic electrical and plumbing instruction for the students. For any other training, they must come to Kathmandu. There is a scholarship program given to the Sherpa people who are interested in hands-on training in carpentry, building, and computer training, that is supported by the Trust, as well.
Can you discuss any technical initiatives in place for the students of the Khumbu Region?
Trust Supported schools have been given computers in the past. The Khumjung School (the main high school in the region) has been given 10 computers. The trust works with the friends of the schools, community members, and tourist donations, to provide the computers. The computers are secured from Kathmandu. In terms of Internet access, Khumjung school has this available, but the facilities are not very good, and the infrastructure is not very good. There are no specialized technical computer services provided by teachers, but basic knowledge can be worked with. This technology is only available at the secondary schools.
Can you discuss any new initiatives being introduced by the Trust in the area of educational development?
The Himalayan Trust is introducing instruction in the English Medium starting next year for all students in the Khumbu schools. This is due to the proliferation of Sherpas being forced to send their children to Kathmandu for schooling in the English language. We are supporting 18 teachers from the schools to be trained in English language instruction. The teachers will be from the primary level, classes 1-4. The reasons for this new program are very important. The Sherpa language is starting to disappear and families are being broken down because the students are being sent to Kathmandu for schooling. This program is working to combat these issues. The Trust is also working to incorporate foreign volunteers into the school systems, starting with grade number 1. The community schools that are supported by the Trust are all requesting the English medium, so getting qualified teachers is the biggest issue. (All new initiatives must be approved by the Ministry of Education, which is often a reason why initiatives take a long time to implement).
Is there any career counseling services available for the students of the region?
Not at the moment. However, the ex students from the area have set up and office with the aim to provide counseling to students who come to Kathmandu after grade 10. This is a private alumni organization.
What are the greatest challenges facing students in the Khumbu Region of Nepal?
The greatest challenge is with the language. The best results (on government mandated exams) are always obtained from private schools. Government schools have been failing the students for a long time. Private schools focus on the English language and it is much easier for these students to continue their studies into the higher realms. Students coming from the government schools face much difficulty due to weakness in language instruction. Most of the books are in English at the higher levels, and this creates the problems for the students. This is why the Trust is introducing English language medium to its youngest students. Before, English was not given importance, and only introduced after grade 5. This was too late for many.
What is the best hope for these students?
The students are very competitive nowadays. The Trust gives scholarships to the best students, and teachers are given incentives as well. The Trust scholarships will help students who are not financially able to pursue studies, especially female students. (We then informally discussed the results of the latest government exams for the students in Khumjung-all of the students, which is almost unheard of, passed the exams, many scoring with high honors, a testament to the initiatives and hard work of all the parties involved).
