Bajura, June 16

Thirty-eight-year-old Nim Kala Rokaya of Himali Rural Municipality of Bajura has been attending classes with her son in the same grade.

Rokaya and her eldest son Santosh enrolled in Grade VIII at local Thulakot Lower Secondary School this academic session. She had studied up to Grade VII before she got married around 18 years ago. She failed to continue her studies as she tied the knot with Siumal Rokaya of Kotgaun. That time, there was no secondary school in her village. Her zeal to resume study didn’t wane even after marriage. She has now enrolled in Grade VIII after the primary school was upgraded to lower secondary, recently.

Nimkala is a mother of three. Her daughter Sunkali studies in Grade VI and her youngest son Dhan Raj is a fourth grader. Her husband Siumal can just read and write his name. “I had a strong zeal to study but I could not go to school as there was no school in my locality. On top of that, I had to look after my children. Therefore, I joined the school alongside my children with support from my husband,” said Nimkala.

She has a dream to complete at least School Leaving Certificate (now SEE). Not a single woman in Kotgaun has passed Grade VIII. There are only three persons in the whole village who have passed SLC till now. Nimkala, who is a volunteer in the locality wants to devote her time to social service after completing Secondary Education Examination.

Kotgaun is four-day walk from the district headquarters, Martadi. The Kotgaun folks have no option but to walk the whole day to reach Bichchhya Secondary School, the nearest high school from the village. They have to walk for two days to reach a higher secondary school at Kolti, said Madhav Prasad Awasthi, the head teacher at Thulakot L Secondary School.