BAJURA, OCTOBER 23
Most students have not been able to continue their plus two studies due to lack of secondary schools in Himali Rural Municipality, Bajura.
Wards 1, 2 and 3 of the rural municipality and Bichhayan do not have schools that run classes for Grades XI and XII.
Kabita Bohora, who had passed her Grade X this year, had to quit studies as there was no secondary school in Ward No 2 of Himali Rural Municipality. She got married at the age of 16 after she could not continue studies.
Similarly, Suntali Thapa had also passed SEE from Bichhayan Secondary School this year, but she also could not continue her studies. She said that there were no school for Grades XI and XII in Bichhayan.
"Most of the guardians do not allow girls to go alone outside their village," she added.
Suntali said that she quit her studies after her guardians could not send her outside the village for higher studies due to poor economic condition. She is also in the mood to get married very soon.
Of the 24 students, who passed SEE from Bichhayan this year, three students continued their higher studies while 21 quit studies without completing their schooling.
Another SEE graduate of the last year Laljit Thapa said of the eighteen students, only two continued their studies while others have quit. There is no secondary school in Himali Rural Municipality that runs Grade XI and XII classes.
Chairman Govinda Bahadur Malla of Himali Rural Municipality said that SEE graduates have to go to Budhinanda Municipality for Grade XI and XII.
Budhinanda Municipality is three-day walk from Bichhayan.
He said that 90 per cent girl students quit their studies due to lack of schools nearby. He added that students from the rural municipality went to Budhinanda-based Jana Prakash Secondary School and Ratapani of Mugu.
Former Ward No 3 chairman Dhyan Rokaya of Himali Rural Municipality said that the local level did not have budget to run classes for Grade XI and XII. He added that not only girl students, but even boys quit their studies due to lack of secondary schools.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 24, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
