Lalitpur, February 4:

A group of Nepali authorities and Korean guests today inaugurated a hostel building constructed with the objective of providing education to children of the very backward indigenous Pahari community of Badikhel.

During the inauguration ceremony, Kim Bo Ki, Director of KOIKA, the International Cooperation Agency of the Korean government, said on behalf of the Korean ambassador, “Assistance programme like this will help facilitate cooperation between the two countries and will be continued in the future.”

The hostel spreading across 2.5 ropani of land was built with support of Good Neighbours International (GNI) and the students of Ajou University, South Korea, at a cost of Rs 5.6 million.

Do Yong Jung, Country director of GNI, said, “The Korean students and members of the GNI have launched such programmes to provide education to the needy and orphan children living in rural areas.”

He added, “Though we have been contributing in the health and welfare sectors, educational programme is our prime focus.”

Prakash Chandra, DSP of Metropolitan police beat, Lalitpur, said, “Such programmes would be helpful in the development of the village as well as the country. Programmes like these should be launched in other districts, too.”

Bimal Singh Bista, executive director Good Neighbourhood Nepal, said, “Though the Pahari community is not economically poor, it lacks educational awareness.”

“These types of programmes will help the Pahari community understand the importance of education.”

The hostel can accommodate 50 children. There are five staffers to take care of those children.

Altogether 53,000 Pahari people are living in various places in the country. According to the 2058 census, their number is high in Badikhel in Lalitpur.