THE SCHOOL OF BHALAYA DANDA

School in Bhalaya danda village is bad. At present, there are two active buildings, a new and an old one, far about 500m and not detectable from each other.

In the old one (site A, the original school), there are 9 rooms, 7 classrooms, 1 office and 1 store. Two (the teacher’s room or school administrative office and the store) lie on the second floor. Highest size of classrooms is about 15 square meters (four classrooms are 3.5m x 3.5m and three, 3.5m x 4m) and 36.6 is the average pupils’ density in 2006 per classroom in site A (0.40 square meter available per child).

In the new one (site B), two classrooms are available (average size is about 25 square meter: 4m x 6,4m) and Grades 6 and 7 are running (in 2006, 49 and 48 students, respectively). Both grades had a very high number of students, strongly above the average, but anyway the density was lower than in site A, that is 0.5 square meters per child. According to the same density of pupils in A, density would be about 0.7 square meters per child, much more than the actual one. In the old building Grades 1 to 5, 8 and the kindergarten are available. In site B another two-rooms building is under construction. One classroom as kindergarten, five as Primary School and one as the first year of the Secondary School (Lower=Grades 6-7 and Higher=Grades 8-10). In our school, students after the sixth year moved out from the school, most of times, ending their Education at the age of 11.

Closest school to get all classes is that in Khalikistan, far about two walking area from the village. But between the two villages there is a climbing for 400 meters through twisting dangerous paths. Going and back for children is almost 4 hours, considering those around the village of Bhalayadanda (but more looking the farthest in the catchment area of the school (see the project).

In 2006 local community was able to build a new edifice with two classrooms, in the site where School Management Committee would like to shift the whole school far few hundred meters from the actual school. With this new building school is able to run 8 classes, of which 6 running in the old school. Then, they started to build another building with two classrooms. If we are able to build a third building with 6 classrooms all school will be shifted in the new site. Scholl will have bigger and more confortable classrooms. Old building will be rearranged. Administrative offices, store room and space dedicated to the food and its distribution will be left in this building. New rooms will be available to run new services, as for example, a library. We believe the new complex will have a strong impact on social life in Bhalaya danda.

Practical management of the project: when collected necessary funds, an agreement will signed between Sundari Baini Onlus (foreign donor), Langtang Foundation Uttergaya Society (local NGO) and Social Welfare Council (Nepali governement). This is the necessary steps to let local people to receive our aid. Today all necessary permits have been collected.
Funds transfer will be monitored by the local NGO, by Sundari Baini Onlus and by the Ev-K2-CNR Committe Office in Kathmandu. Working time needed to build the school varies between 10 and 16 months. Time we will have to spend waiting for favourable weather, getting permits, solve unpredictable problems, is not, of course, countable, so we hope to achieve our aim in the best way in the time that will be necessary.