(Winter-)Schools in the remote mountains of Nepal

The “revival” of the school in Lhuri in Upper Dolpo by the young teacher Dhawa Phuntsok and the HUMAN-Stiftung (Foundation) after many years without school operations is still very “young”. That is why we want to present the mission at the beginning of this report.

“Our mission is to create a dynamic learning environment that enables students to discover their passions, promote critical thinking, embrace diversity, and develop the skills necessary to succeed in an ever-changing world. We are committed to fostering a community that values collaboration, integrity, and a lifelong love of learning, preparing students to take on responsibility as global citizens and leaders of tomorrow. We encourage and empower them to try new and exciting things as a solid foundation on which to build.”

Under these conditions, the children were able to move into the newly built school during the 2023 school year. What joy for the children.
A total of 26 children (17 girls, 9 boys) were able to complete the school year, which lasted from May 1st to November 7th. All children successfully passed the exams at the end of the school year.

Three dedicated teachers were able to teach the children using the usual Nepali curriculum (Nepali and English language, Mathematics and Science). The special thing about the schools in Dolpo is that they teach the Tibetan language and culture in order to preserve the old traditions.

There were also special measures and events in 2023:

• On World Environment Day (June 5), the teachers and students initiated a tree planting program. More than 40 willow seedlings were planted. Providing practical training has been part of our concept from the very beginning.
• We have provided all students with a basic hygiene kit which includes a toothbrush, toothpaste, and soaps. They clearly enjoyed it and now know how important personal hygiene is.
• Drinking water is a challenge for the school. Two water intake points and a pipe were built that collect the spring water and are connected to a drinking water tap.

There is still a lot to do, including structurally. This year, two toilets will be built, the retaining wall will be reinforced, and other smaller measures will be taken.

Our special thanks go to the teaching team Dhawa Phuntsok, Lhakpa Tenzin and Orgyan Gyaltsen Gurung as well as to Nyima Sangmo Gurung for her cooking skills and their loving nature.

Above all, we would like to thank all of our sponsors who make our educational projects in Nepal possible.

Preliminary Remark: The villages and the schools in Upper Dolpo are located in one of the remotest mountainous areas in the world at around 4,000 meters altitude and there is no or hardly any phone contact or Internet connection. To get to Kathmandu from Upper Dolpo, you need to walk several days and additional 48 hours by bus. This said, we only can deliver detailed reports of the school sessions with several months delay. Thank you for your understanding.

As we currently support three schools in Upper Dolpo, we want to give you once a year a review of the past school year. Today we want to report on the winter schools in Saldang and Nyisal.

The schools in Dolpo do not function as well as in "our world" for a few reasons. First, families rely on subsistence farming, and it is difficult to meet their daily necessities, so the children have to assist their parents in domestic work at times and miss some school days. Second, not all parents are fully aware of the change education can bring to their villages and to their children’s lives. Third, some children need to walk a great distance, sometimes on an empty stomach, to and from these schools. However, over the past few years, due to support from foreign-based organizations like HUMAN-Stiftung (Foundation), the schools in the region are progressing and providing better education to the children of the region.

Due to the extreme weather conditions during the period of November to March, some villagers travel down to lower Dolpa along with their livestock. This limits the normal school period from April to October. Some schools in Upper Dolpo have been conducting Winter Classes with the support of local youths and alumni who could stay in the villages in those harsh winter weather and teach the students for 3-4 months.

In total, around 100 students attended in our winter school session 2022/2023.

The teachers assessed the students' reading and writing skills in all three language subjects and differentiated the lessons based on their grades and abilities. The teaching staff designed lesson plans and teaching methods according to the individual needs of the students. The Tibetan language teachers mainly focused on teaching local history, religions, and social and cultural aspects. In contrast, the other language teachers concentrated on improving their reading and writing skills. Rather than completing the entire book syllabus, the focus was on enhancing students' learning without undue pressure.

Based on their skill levels, the students were divided into three groups: Beginners (Nursery to UKG), Intermediate and Advanced.

Extracurricular activities included dancing, singing, sports, hiking, drawing etc. This allowed them to showcase their creativity and talent. After classes, the students were taught dances and songs in all three languages and given the chance to perform during the Losar festival. Additionally, sports competitions were organized, providing an opportunity for students to stay warm and develop sportsmanship skills.

In total we employed five teachers, two cooks and two helpers. All students were evaluated on a continuous assessment model for free writing and reading. As a result, 100% of students successfully passed the winter session. Overall, regular assessments and tailored feedback are effective approaches to evaluating student learning outcomes.

As always there is a contribution from the families by providing food (which they get reimbursed) and firewood. 50% of the students stayed at school as their way home is too far or parents are in Lower Dolpo.

Winter classes are facing several challenges, including the cold temperature in the classroom which often requires to hold classes outside. Moreover, students suffer from cold-related illnesses such as coughing, stomach pains, headaches, and wounds on their faces. Access to medicine is difficult as health posts in the villages are closed during winter. In such cases, we have to rely on Tibetan medicine to treat illnesses.

In our next report we will explain result from school in Lhuri. Today, we also want to introduce two students from our schools: 

Kunsang (from Nyisal) is 7 years old and is studying in Kindergarten. Her father’s name is Sonam and mother’s name is Bhuti. She is the youngest among 5 kids in the family. She is very talented and quickly grasps all her lessons. She is the smartest in her class. She is also very active in different extracurricular activities. 

Thinley is from Saldang. She is nine years old and in grade one. There are five family members: one elder brother, grandmother, father and mother. Farming and small tent business by her father and mother is the main source of income to take care of them. Her father also goes after yak to fetch wood from the forest. Both of them collect Yartsa Gumba and sell to increase the family income. Her parents do not have many fields, so they have to work very hard which is a very big challenge for them.

Thank you so much for your support of the Winter school project. Without your generosity children were not able to attend school classes.