School sans desks, benches

Dhading, November 11:

Every day, along with books and copies, students of Pipaltar lower secondary school come to their school with mats. Reason: The school does not have enough desks and benches to cater to the needs of its students.

Children hailing from Kalleri VDC of Dhading and Taruka VDC of Nuwakot study in this school. Any student who fails to bring a mat has no option except to sit on the dusty floor.

A crumbled roof, dusty classroom and worn-out walls are some of the features of the school, which is located along the Dhading-Nuwakot border.

Though 42 students study in grade one, their classroom has just two two sets of desks and benches. Most of the students sit on the floor, said the school headmaster, Chetnath Adhikari. The school, which has 300 students, has been running like this for a decade. Last year, a glimmer of hope flickered as the people came to know that the Nuwakot district development committee had decided to provide 10 pieces of desk benches to the school. But all the enthusiasm died down soon, for it turned out to be a rumour.