MANANG: Local residents of Chame, the district headquarters of Manang, are delighted as local Lokpriya Secondary School has started boarding facilities.

The school has now witnessed a double increase in the number of students with the inclusion of boarding facility in financial support from the rural municipality.

According to Principal of the school, Suresh Kumar Thapa, there were only 94 students from 'Playgroup' to grade XII in the school last year, which has now 87 boarders and 107 day-scholars.

The principal said as many as 87 students have enrolled in English medium courses while 170 others are in Nepali medium from grades III to XII.

In the school, students study from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. Principal Thapa said that the meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner — facility has been made available with the financial aid from the rural municipality, on the premises of the school for the students coming from remote areas.

Parents and guardians of the students have very different attitudes towards the school now after it came into operation as per the policy of the rural municipality under the direction of local representatives, the principal said. The guardians of students have also praised the school as it has offered qualitative education and facilities to students making the concession.

Apart from remote areas, students from others districts have also entered Lokpriya Secondary School. A 10th-grader and Manang District Child Network Committee Chair Palmasangmo Lama said, the boarding school, presently, has offered the facility that helps to save time in contrast to the classes in previous years when she could not get enough time even for lunch.

Currently, there are a total of 257 students, 37 staff including teachers, cook and utility workers in the school.  School Management Committee Chair Sadan Prasad Dwa said that the teachers, staff, guardians and the rural municipality itself have stayed active to improve the education quality. He said, the students from the rural municipality no more head to others institutions in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan among other cities.

Similarly, Chame Rural Municipality chair Lokendra Bahadur Ghale committed to providing full support to the school for qualitative education.

Chame Rural Municipality has also launched a campaign to merge the schools having minimum students with Lokpriya School from the academic session 2018/19.