Himalayan News Service

Baglung, February 7

Cows are mooing in Kali Gandaki Primary School of Amala Chaur VDC-9 of this district where hundreds of Grade 3 students used to study till recently. The school has turned into an animal shelter for want of financial support from the government and locals. Students are badly hit by the school closure.

Since 1996, the school was running on local aid. Its three-room building was constructed with labor provided by locals. It used to get an annual grant of Rs. 20,000 from the VDC office.

Ruing the state of affairs, Devi Prasad Padhey, the school management committee president blamed the District Education Office (DEO) for not recruiting teachers for the school. Padhey alleged the DEO gave temporary licence to the school but remained indifferent to the question of recruiting teachers.

Padhey pointed out that a teacher, Mukunda Lamichhane, had alone operated the school for five years on his meagre monthly salary of Rs 1,500. Lamichhane was reimbursed only Rs 13,000 for his pains. Another teacher, Januka Devi Sharma, never got any salary, locals said. A social worker, Karna Bahadur KC, said reopening the school was possible only if government provided support.