Although it is a culturally rich and physically beautiful country, Nepal is one of the world's poorest and least-developed countries. While the country's educational system has made a great deal of progress in a very short time, there is still much to be done. Many government schools are in bad physical shape, still others are extremely underfunded, especially in rural areas. Furthermore, supplementary materials like libraries, children's books, and computer labs are rare.
Schools
Although primary education is free, government schools are often inadequate and overcrowded. Many schools in remote areas are very basic and sometimes unsafe. Often these schools have no blackboard and very little furniture. In rural areas, students usually walk several miles to go to school.
The inability of students to attend school is affected by many factors, including poor weather, overcrowded classrooms and family situations that keep older children at home to work or to care for younger siblings.
Furthermore, the heavy rains of the monsoon season cause many problems for schools. The rains make it difficult for children to walk long distances to school; they damage the existing mud walls and sheet metal roofs and turn the dirt floors, which are common in these schools, into mud. The mud makes it extremely uncomfortable to attend school and sometimes affects the health of students and teachers. In some cases, the rains cause flooding that damages the entire school.
The metal sheets that are often used for the roofs of schools can cause problems with temperature changes inside. It can get as cold as 40°F in the winter and as hot as 95°F during summer. These conditions are very disruptive for children trying to learn and can lead to increased health problems.
Schools are often overcrowded, with as many as 40-50 students crammed into classrooms that are meant to hold only 20 students.
Libraries, Books, and Computer Labs
Although all government schools receive some financial support from the government for teachers' salaries, they must pay for other expenses themselves. Often these expenses include hiring additional teachers and buying school supplies, new materials, and books. As a result, most schools do not have a library. In addition, most government schools have very few to no books besides textbooks. The few books that they may have are usually in black and white - no color - and are not children's books. Often they are books left by travelers and are written in English or other foreign languages rather than in Nepali. In many cases, the few books that schools have are so valuable that teachers lock them up, where they remain unavailable to curious children. Without fun, colorful books, children do not learn to love reading, and they are not able to explore the world through a book.
Although many government schools are very interested in providing computer education, very few can afford computer labs. Most children in rural areas have never seen a computer. Adequate computer knowledge and skills are major factors in determining potential future employment opportunities.
Girls
Girls have less access to education than boys. Many are not allowed to go to school and those that do often leave school before the age of 12 to care for younger siblings or work on the family farm. Enrollment is less than 35% in secondary schools.
However, Room to Read is helping to change things. We work with Nepali communities to:
build better schools,
establish libraries and fill them with new children's books,
establish computer labs, and
fund scholarships for girls.
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