In late 2021, the local government in Ghyangfedi announced that the Shree Ghyangfedi School will begin offering ‘Plus Two’ education. Plus Two is the name for the optional last two years of secondary schooling in Nepal, which can further qualify a student to apply for a university degree. After months of preparation, this dream for the Ghyangfedi community has become a reality.
“Opening Plus Two in Ghyangfedi provides higher opportunities for students,” Pasang explains. “It allows these students the privilege to stay in their own village to complete their studies, instead of having to leave home and their families. This reduces the burden on families to pay to send their children away to other cities for higher education. It will also decrease child marriage as girls will stay in school longer. Students, especially girls, can now acquire a good education in their own village and support their families. The Plus Two programme has the power to transform not only Shree Ghyangfedi School, but Ghyangfedi as a whole.”
We have worked with Ghyangfedi since the devastating 2015 earthquake that rocked Nepal. This community was severely affected by the earthquake: all buildings, homes and schools were either damaged or destroyed, and 86 people died. With the help of our supporters, we rebuilt an earthquake-safe school for the Ghyangfedi community, which opened in June 2017. Since then, the school’s development has been outstanding.
“Plus Two will help Shree Ghyangfedi School to become a model school and an education hub in the district. More budget will also be allotted by the local government towards running the school… Over time, the literacy of the whole village will increase,” Pasang says.
Our team in Nepal have been working hard to prepare for the first cohort of students to commence Plus Two. The school has opened and furnished science labs, technology labs and a library. They have also acquired books and stationery and hired three new specialised teachers to teach law and science. With these teachers hired, classes have begun.
Among the first cohort currently enrolled in the programme, three have decided to study science and nine have chosen law. The school anticipates that many of the 18 students completing their Grade 10 exams this year will progress to Plus Two next year. As the programme grows, we expect more subjects will be offered in the future, including agriculture.
“Ghyangfedi is still organic and villagers’ daily life depends on farming. We hope to arrange a three year agriculture course to help increase production by teaching students to adopt modern farming. This means youth will have the option to create jobs in their own village rather than working white collar jobs away from home”, Pasang says.
The programme has been an enormous undertaking, but one that has been worth it.
“Nobody believed that Ghyangfedi would be able to open Plus Two. It was a huge challenge, but we’ve executed it. All the course books and stationery have been purchased for Plus Two and classes are running very smoothly.”
Pasang Sherpa, Ghyangfedi Project Manager
Leif Wåhlin Foundation (LWF), a private family foundation based in Sweden, fund the entirety of our work in Ghyangfedi. They are proud to see the education programme expanding and the transformative change they are helping to generate.
“We at LWF are grateful for the work Adara does in Nepal and Ghyangfedi,” says Chanette Watz, a Director at LWF. “We are particularly happy to support educational efforts which is one of the foundation’s fundamental values and purposes. If education can save even one child from being sold and trafficked it means our contributions are meaningful. To quote Mr Nelson Mandela, ‘We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in our hands to make a difference.’”
Pasang wants to thank Adara’s supporters, like LWF, for helping make all this possible.
“All these outcomes are possible thanks to the generous supporters of Adara. We would like to thank you very much for your kind support and helping to change the lives of children, especially girls, in Ghyangfedi. The best part about working with Adara is that we can fund the necessary activities to create change in the community. Thanks to the support, our visions for the community can come true,” he says.
We can’t wait to see what incredible achievements come from the Plus Two programme. We wish the commencing and future students all the best in their studies!
