The Ullens case study offers a lesson in how communities can turn pain into purpose and why education must remain a space of peace.
When schools are attacked, it is never just a building that burns. It is the burning of trust, hope, and the future we promise to our children.
The attack on Ullens School and numerous other educational institutions during Nepal's recent unrest was not only a physical tragedy, it was an assault on the spirit of education itself.
For parents, teachers, and students, Ullens was more than a school. It was a community built on shared values and dreams. Seeing it in ashes was unbearable.
Few days after the attack, I walked into my son's classroom. I could still smell the smoke. Our children's beautiful project works were scattered across the floor, the children's artworks lay torn, and the small plants they had nurtured were wilting. I imagined their laughter in that same room just days earlier and I could do nothing but took a deep breath. When I returned home, I shared it with my son and he was in pain hearing it. All I could console him was giving him a big hug.
Some parents who lived nearby could barely sleep for nights after. The silence of the damaged campus was haunting. For the children, it was confusion more than fear. A few showed remarkable courage talking about how they would decorate their classrooms again using their Dashain gifts. Yet during the festival, many parents and children found themselves quiet, unable to celebrate while the memory of a burnt school lingered. Many places they go, kids and parents were asked the same question; What happened to Ullens? Are you still going to the same school?
From crisis to cooperation
Out of that collective pain, something powerful emerged. The Ullens community; parents, teachers, and administrators came together not to assign blame but to rebuild trust. What began as shock and grief slowly turned into a shared commitment to act.
On 16 September, the ATP committee of Ullens (A Parents body), representing more than 1,500 parents, submitted a joint appeal to the school. It called for two actions: the resignation of a politically affiliated member of the School Management Committee and assurance of the school's continued operation. Both of those requests were addressed swiftly which included efforts of Board, Management, Administration and of course a parent's body. The results were achieved not through confrontation but through dialogue consisting of patient, principled, and persistent.
A few days later, a meeting at the Lalitpur Metropolitan Office facilitated by Mayor brought together school authorities, parents, and local officials. Together they charted a roadmap for reopening. By mid-October, parents, teachers and management came into consensus joining hands to reopen classrooms physically. It was a quiet but powerful symbol that compassion could triumph over chaos. Most important thing we believed in each other and we set our differences apart. We were absolutely calm; patient and we assured our solidarity to Ullens because our children loved their school. We would do any thing to help them get back to their friends and their adoring teachers.
Conflict resolution: Healing through dialogue
In conflict studies, peace is not the absence of tension but the presence of dialogue. The Ullens experience brought that theory to life. It was not a perfect process: emotions ran high, and disagreements surfaced but the community refused to give up on communication. We never let the conflict escalate not even into an argument. Our dialogues and our thoughts were curated with mindfulness. We had to reflect back the culture taught by Ullens's to our children. We were peaceful, we had an empathy and we believed in the process. We constantly reminded ourselves that we are different and we have to make a difference.
Parents who once felt powerless discovered strength in unity. Teachers who feared for their future returned with courage. The school administration, too, embraced humility and inclusion. Step by step, conversation replaced confrontation. Trust began to return.
As one Sanskrit verse reminds us:
"Śanaiḥ kāṇṭhāt, śanaiḥ panthāḥ, śanaiḥ parvate mastake,
śanaiḥ vidyā, śanaiḥ vittam, pañcatraye śanaiḥ śanaiḥ."
Slowly we speak, slowly we walk, slowly we climb a mountain,
slowly we gain wisdom and slowly we build wealth
for all good things in life come through patience and persistence.
That verse perfectly mirrors the path the parents' committee chose. Through steady dialogue, quiet determination, and unwavering faith that truth and transparency would prevail, they proved that real strength lies not in confrontation but in calm perseverance.
It was a reminder that meaningful change takes time śanaiḥ śanaiḥ: slowly, gently, but surely.
We shared these verses to hundred of parents during that process. Parents believed in it.
A national moment of reflection
The unrest of 23–24 Bhadra 2082, which claimed 76 young lives during the Gen Z movement, revealed deep frustrations within our society, disillusionment with governance, inequality, and justice. Yet those events also showed how quickly anger can consume what we value most.
When adults turn political frustration into violence, it is children who pay the highest price. How do we explain to them that their school, a place meant to nurture dreams was turned to ashes by adult anger? Education must remain sacred. It cannot become a battlefield for ideology or revenge. We as a parents published a public statement on October 14 and that picked up a solidarity from wider audience. We the parents of Ullens are hard working parents and we chose this school; nobody dragged us here. We believe the pragmatic education system of Ullens. Our Children and free and they love their freedom. One day they will grow up and seek an answer from responsible on this attack on their dreams and their playground.
Parents, teachers, and administrators: A shared responsibility
The Ullens story holds lessons for every community. Schools are not just institutions; they are ecosystems of care. Their strength lies in the partnership among parents, teachers, and administrators.
Parents must stay involved not only in crisis but in everyday dialogue. Teachers who carry the emotional and educational weight of children need support and recognition. And school leaders must lead with empathy, transparency, and courage.
When these three forces align, schools can endure even the hardest storms. Any needed reformation needs to happen as we are growing a child who asks for accountability and answers.
Rebuilding the intangible
Rebuilding a school is more than repairing walls; it is about restoring hope. When a child walks back into a classroom after fear, when a teacher begins a lesson again with patience, when a parent decides to trust again that is when peace truly begins.
The Ullens community proved that leadership is not about holding titles but about holding ground for integrity. It showed that even after tragedy, dialogue and empathy can rebuild what anger destroyed. Thanks to all Parents of Ullens School.
As Nepal searches for stability, let us remember: education is not just a right; it is the heartbeat of peace. Protecting schools is protecting our collective conscience.
Because when schools burn, we do not just rebuild walls.
We rebuild trust and with it, the future.
Thapa is a Chair of Ullens ATP Committee. He is a book curator and a story teller.
Thapaamir75@gmail.com
