Bajura, March 15

Montessori Primary School in Budhiganga Municipality, Bajura, is on the verge of closure due to financial crunch.

The school being run with the help of local Dalit community was established in 2010. Students studying in the school are also from the Dalit community. Head teacher Lokesh BK said they were not in a condition to run the school due to lack budget required to hire manpower and build necessary infrastructure.

“The government had given the permission to open the school, but did not provide any manpower and budget to build  infrastructure,” he added. As many as 36 students are studying in Grade I, 25 in II and 29 in Grade III. Head teacher BK said the students from Grade I and II were merged in a single classroom while due to lack of classrooms.

Nirmala BK, a teacher, at the school said due to lack of toilet facility in the school, the students had to go to river side to answer the call of nature. Nirmala also said the teachers had not received their salaries for the last 18 months. “We are three teachers, including me, in the school,” the head teacher added.

The school administration said the authority concerned had paid no attention despite frequent reminders about the poor condition of the school. Ward Chair Dharma Raj Jaisi said he was taking initiative to address the problems. Meanwhile, Mayor Dipak Bikram Shakya said he was not informed about the school.