Kathmandu, May 7:

There is good news for women who had to drop out of study but wish to complete it at the later parts of their lives. They can now complete their formal education at a school opened in Bhaktapur specially for women dropouts.

Initiated by seven local women, the school ‘Astha Mahila Bidhyalaya’ at Madhyapur Thimi-15 will provide formal education from Grade VI and above to women above 14. The classes will be run from 6am to 9:45 am every day.

According to Parbati Gyawali, secretary of the school management committee, the idea of a school for women dropouts was conceived after a survey among 200 women in Bhaktapur who had discontinued their formal education for one or the other reason revealed that they were willing to pursue studies later.

“We decided to open a school for them after finding that they were interested to complete the education even now,” she said. This is a first of its kind of school in Bhaktapur, she said, adding same curriculum offered in government schools would be taught in the school.

The school will charge a nominal monthly fee of Rs 200 besides a one-time admission fee of Rs 500 so that almost all women could afford to study in the school, she claimed.

The classes will open from tomorrow, said Gyawali. Around 35 females aged between 14 and 45 years have been enrolled at the school and 60 more women in Madhyapur Thimi, Balkot, Dadhikot and other adjoining villages have shown interest to join the school, said Gyawali.

Although the school will run classes for only Grade VI this year, it will conduct classes for upper grades too from the next year.

In Nepal, many women are forced to quit school due to many reasons, in most cases after marriage.

Gyawali said, “Women who are currently enrolled at the school have said that they felt left behind in various sectors of life due to the lack of formal education and they hesitated to join regular schools at an older age. The school has provided them with the right opportunity to complete the study they had discontinued long ago.”