Kitini: A School of Hope

“As most of the Nepalese, I also have many sorts of economic problems but I don't want to make them a barrier for stopping me from pursuing science because I know when there is a will, there is a way! Getting a chance to study science in such well-equipped college under minimum fees is really a blessing for me, and for others like me!” states Ashmita, a current 12th standard science student from Kitini Secondary School, Godavari.

Godavari is a small suburb village located at the outskirts of Lalitpur, and within a ride of 10 minutes, one may not find anything less similar than the rural areas of Nepal. Godavari municipality is home to diverse communities, mostly internal migrants coming to Kathmandu and Lalitpur with hope of a bright future for their families. However, the government's inability to integrate efficient systems in the public services have not made their dreams come to life. Such is the fate of every public school located in distant villages and rural area, where the conditions are distressing, sometimes hopeless.

Nevertheless, Chora Chori has been dedicated to challenge this problem, and provide sustainable solutions towards quality educational for the marginalized communities of Nepal. As an initiation, Chora Chori has been devotedly progressing with its educational programme, through which a major collaboration has been made with Kitini Secondary school, a public school located at the Godavari municipality. Kitini School has not only defied a common notion among Nepalese that public schools are terrible, but risen up as a big success story from this small village.

With a generous grant from UK Foundation, Chora Chori was able to set up science laboratories in Kitini School in April of 2017, which kick started the operation of science faculty in the higher secondary education of the school. With Chora Chori’s continuous help to get required lab materials, curriculum developments and infrastructure development in the recent two years, Kitini School has been able to attract many students in the newly established science faculty, not only from Godavari municipality but also from the city’s central areas. Unlike the colleges located at the city’s centre, currently Kitini is providing the same level of quality education in the science department but at a nominal cost.

Saroj KC, Principal of Kitini, shares with us, “We, as a school here, are not concerned about profit but that all students' educational needs are provided. Almost all our students studying in the science faculty belong to deprived families, and we want to make sure they receive high quality education without any worry of money,”

Kitini School, now, has started its third batch of science faculty students in the higher secondary education, while their second batch of students are in the second year of study. It's very first batch of students, who joined after the setup of science faculty with newly built science labs, have proudly graduated, few students reportedly on the way for receiving scholarship to study MBBS. This is an amazing development for Kitini, a school that has come a long way from being a normal public school to being an exemplary school for Godavari municipality. It has proved to be a boon for the deprived families who cannot afford the high fees of colleges in Lalitpur, and gives them hope for a good future of their children.

Kitini School requires additional science lab materials, stationery materials and assistance with maintenance costs with increasing students and demands of the curriculum. It has been reliant on Chora Chori and contributions from the local community for meeting the ends to provide students with quality education. Besides this, Chora Chori is also planning to initiate a bursary scheme at the start of the next academic year in April 2020, targeted for children coming from poor and disadvantaged families, irrespective of gender.