KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 3
Maya Rana Tufo, daughter of late Prabhakar Shumsher JBR, a renowned businessperson and philanthropist, has generously contributed to two libraries in Durbar High School.
Maya Rana has dedicated the libraries to her father who laid emphasis on educational and training programmes.
The libraries have been established with the support from Zonta Club of Kathmandu to ensure that students of community schools have access to quality school libraries with all kinds of modern amenities.
Durbar High School started its service in 1854. It is Nepal's oldest modern school, which was later opened to public citizens in 1901 by Dev Shumsher JBR.
"Late Rana was also a great admirer of Nepali heritage, culture and nature, and it was natural for his daughter (the donor) to choose to fund Durbar School, the first and historical school of Nepal," reads a press release by the Zonta Club. The school was rebuilt by the Chinese government in its original neo-classic design using modern materials after the school suffered heavy damage due to the 2015 earthquakes.
The libraries were formally inaugurated by Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Bidhya Sundar Shakya, Zonta Club Kathmandu's Chair Seema Golchha and Maya Rana's close relative Srijana Rana, among other Zonta members today amidst a function. Speaking at the event, Mayor Shakya thanked all the supporters who made the project possible.
He said the well-facilitated library should not be limited to school students as it would be helpful to all the students.
Currently, around 1,000 students are studying in two schools that are housed under the roof of Durbar High School complex. Around 400 students study at Sanskrit Secondary School from grade 6 to 12. Likewise, 600 students study at Bhanu Secondary School from preschool to grade 10. Zonta has set up two libraries, namely 'Panini' and 'Durbar Pustakalaya' at both the schools.
During the inauguration, Seema Golchha said their effort was targeted to provide support to needy children to enable them to have access to modern amenities and even a few rare collections of books. "We have selected colourful books and books filled with pictures from large range of books to encourage reading culture among students. We hope that these books will prove a beacon of hope and allow the children studying at community schools to dream big," Golchha said.
Zonta Club of Kathmandu has been proactive in supporting Durbar High School during COVID-19 by providing laptops for teachers and smart phones to students to run online education.
Zonta had also given intensive training to teachers for online education during the months-long nationwide lockdown.
Srijana Rana, on behalf of Maya Rana said, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank my aunt Maya Rana Tufo for her generous donation. May she be an example to us all regarding the importance of remembering the legacies of our parents and honouring their memories." Zonta Club of Kathmandu works on women's rights. They advocate equality, education and an end to child marriage and gender-based violence.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 4, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
