The Magic Yeti Library/Khumjung and Phortse Schools

Khumjung/Phortse/and the Magic Yeti Library Project

As part of my ongoing work with the U.S.-based Alex Lowe Foundation and The Magic Yeti Library Project, I was able to conduct recent assessments of three of the organization's libraries located in the rural Solo Khumbu Region of Nepal. While conducting my assessments, which consisted of working with the community and key local players involved in the project, I also had the opportunity to visit some of the small local schools that the libraries are affiliated with. Many of the schools in the Khumbu Region fall under the guide of the Himalayan Trust, the organization for established more than fifty years ago by Sir Edmund Hilary (the first Westerner to climb Everest) to give back to the local communities that made his historic feat possible.

The Khumjung School

The Khumjung Secondary School was the first location established by Hilary; it has grown to be one of the best government secondary schools in the nation, with high school standardized testing scores well above the nationwide average, a full computer lab, an art school, and a truly dedicated and proactive Headmaster, Mr. Mahendra Kathet, who I had a chance to sit and talk with on a sunny afternoon in his small office. The Khumjung School also houses a small community Magic Yeti Library, which has been improved upon and has grown to include copious English literature, English magazines, local literature, and many other educational resources for the students and community of Khumjung to access.

The Headmaster wishes to integrate the library more into the school curriculums, a topic that I stressed repeatedly, to increase the effectiveness and usage. He also wishes for the library to grow, and to add technology to help close the much-discussed “Digital Divide.”

I also had a chance to sit and talk with the computer teacher, Furtemba Sherpa, who is a proud product of the Khumjung School; the computer lab currently possesses 15 machines, generously donated two years ago by the Korean Alpine Club. While there is no available, feasible internet access at the location (an issue that I am also currently working on), the machines are used to teach typing, photoshop, and general Microsoft Office skills that the students will need to compete for modern jobs both in the region and in the nation's capital. Furtemba is also attending a training this winter in Kathmandu to learn more about computer hardware, so a local solution can be found to computing issues in Khumjung, a marvelous idea! His goals include adding more machines to the school; the current 15 are often doubled/tripled up upon during classes, which hinders educational progress.

Phortse Primary School

I also had the opportunity, in visiting the Phortse Magic Yeti Library, to meet and talk to the Headmaster of the small Phortse community school, with which the library is affiliated. The small school has an enrollment of 35, with 3 teachers covering all subject areas. In visiting the school, I was extremely impressed by the resourcefulness of the teachers, who get minimal support from the government, in turning the building into a great learning center. The walls were covered with posters and artwork; the materials were meager, yet sufficient, and well-loved. The village of Phortse is a small, traditional farming community located at about 13,000ft in the Khumbu, surrounded by the tallest mountains in the world. It is a hard days's hike the regions headquarters at Namche Bazaar, and certainly feels like stepping back in time when one glances its stone walls and majestic gompa (monastery) hovering over the village. The village was the beneficiary of an exstremely generous British soul, referred to as “Papa Tony,” who contributed a mini-hydroelectric plant, a new school building, a new gompa, and a new community center, amongst others, after first visiting in the 1980's and being moved by the people's subsistence lifestyle. The community center that was donated now houses the Magic Yeti Library, an amazing resource for the community, which I was there to provide an assessment. The Headmaster and other community members who I met stressed the need for technology; one computer could open worlds for the local children. The Project will hopefully be introducing this to the library in the coming months.

Pictures to follow!

Nepal: Mahendra Boudha Secondary School

Schools Project School Observation

School Name: Mahendra Boudha Higher Secondary School

School Location: Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal

School Enrollment: Male- 40% Female- 60%

Name of Principal/Headmaster: Mr. Hari Bhakta Shrestha

I had the chance to sit with Mr. Hari Shrestha, the Headmaster of the Boudha Secondary School in Boudhanath, Nepal, to discuss his views on the challenges and opportunities facing his school and the students who attend. The Boudha School is a community school, one of three classificaitons in the Nepalese educational system; schools either fall under the government exclusively, community, or the private sectors. Thus, the school receives input and support from the community in which it lies. The community of Boudha is one of the largest Tibetan communities in Asia, and has been a main pilgrimage site for Buddhists from throughout the world for centuries. After our meeting, I was fortunate to take a tour and see the computer lab, which was community financed three years ago, and now includes 25 machines. The computer lab is run and managed by a former student/teacher, who focuses on computer programming and computer skills for grades 5 and higher. Seven of the computers also have internet access, which is used by the students to access educational materials under close supervision. I sat with Mr. Shrestha in his office and discussed some important issues.

What are the main challenges being faced by the school?

The biggest challenge facing the headmasters and the school is how to compromise with different political parties which want their own types of policies in teaching and education that they want to implement in the classroom. There is, and has been, a lot of political turmoil in the country over the past number of years. Different parties are constantly cropping up and making various demands of the public sector of Nepal, especially the educational sector. They demand different management systems for the schools, with different curricula preaching different ideologies. The headmasters want to compromise and come to agreement with all of them to achieve success for the school, and remains focused on the students.

What has been the biggest success for the school?

In talking of successes, the Principal brought into the conversation the idea of social classes, which still play a very large role in Nepali society, especially in an area as diverse as Boudhanath, which is home to many non-Hindu residents and their children. According to Shrestha, most of the students are from the lower class levels, and many are from diverse parts of the country. Additionally, many of the teachers are also from different ethic groups and different regions of Nepal. The school's largest success lies in the successful and peaceful integration of all these varying groups of students and teachers, a task which has created much tension in other regions of the country over the years.

What critical resources are missing? How would they be used?

According to the Headmaster, the school needs one new building for the students to house a laboratory and library-now there is only a small library that is insufficient. I was able to see the library in its current state, which was pretty much non-functioning. A larger space, complete with shelving and space for reading would benefit the students greatly. Additionally, in his vision for a new building for the school (which, rarely for a school in an urban setting, has the land available), the Sciences, including biology and chemistry, are in desperate need of a new lab. The principal would also like to expand the sports programs for the students. There is currently one large field space for play, but the school is lacking in any kind of sporting equipment. Additionally, in the area of books for the students and the school, the Headmaster noted that the parents of the students must pay for the books for their children in the 9^th and 10^th grades (the lower grades are provided for by the government), but the supply is extremely inadequate. He envisions being able to stock the library with outside reading materials, including English literature materials, and supplemental textbooks and teacher manuals, which are currently not available.

Where were the teachers trained? What guidance do they have in the classroom?

According to Shrestha, the teachers get trained by the government and come to the school with all necessary qualifications. The government also hosts different periodic trainings for the teachers. The government provides the set curriculum that is followed in the classroom, however teachers have freedom with their classroom activities, but, as I witnessed, are extremely limited by a general lack of outside resources and teaching aids, and must thus rely on traditional methods of instruction.

What inspires them?

According t5o the Headmaster, 27 years ago he was appointed into his position by the government, and is a position that he has proudly held ever since. Before this appointment, he was a teacher. He loves, and is inspired by, the interaction with the teachers and the students and other outside community institutions.

Contributions to the School: Where does the funding come from?

There are no outside partnerships with foreign oragnizations. This is a community school-the community is more involved, but most of the children are from outside the area and have migrated to the area so this affects the cohesion of the community., which thus suffers in its support of the institution. The only partnerships that have been effective in furthering the mission of the school have been the alumni and community groups that helped purchase the computers for the computer lab, and certain parents who help with school fundraising.

What about technology and its implementation in the school?

The school has a computer lab with 20 computers. The computers are contributions from different social institutions, such as Boudha Chetra Development Committee and student groups who donated the money to purchase the machines. This was done two years ago. There is an internet connection as well for the students. From grades 6-10 the students are using the computers. The students are learning computer programming and typing skills. However, now, due to the load shedding (the many hours of power cuts that plague the capital city of Nepal), the computers cannot be used often, as there is no money for a generator.

What about programs for At-Risk students, or for students who have dropped out of school?

According to Shrestha, 5-10% of the students drop out from the school, mainly from the primary level. The school inquires to the parents why the students have dropped out, but no services are offered past this action. The Headmaster believes that a lot of the dropouts are due to migrations and the constant transferring of jobs and the poverty of the parents. No other services are provided to these students who must leave school due to economic reasons.