Kula Mountain Primary School

The Kula Mountain School is named for this sacred mountain in the Panzang Valley.
© Ken Bauer

History
Location
Mission and Rationale
Winter School
Headmaster
Future Plans

History

Until very recently, no educational institutions existed in Dolpo, except for small local monasteries. In order for children to attend school, they had to leave their homes. Local people were primarily concerned with their livelihood - animal husbandry, farming, and trading. They did not have a clear idea about how to educate future generations. And yet, there have been and continue to be many changes facing the society, environment and culture of Dolpo. In 2001, a collaboration between a French NGO (Couleurs Himalaya) and the local community began: the Kula Mountain Primary School in Tinje Village Development Committee (Dolpa District, Nepal).

Location

The Panzang Valley of Dolpa District, in which Tinje VDC is located, is one of the most remote parts of Nepal. The Dolpo region borders Tibet, and has been referred to by outsiders as a "last enclave of pure Tibetan culture." In many ways, the landscape and culture of this region are reminiscent not of Nepal, per se, but more of Tibet. But Dolpo has been a part of Nepal since the 18th century. Tinje VDC rests at approximately 4500 meters above sea level, and is home to people who still practice traditional ways of life, although they are also a part of the modern Nepali world. Dolpo is inaccessible for many months of the year due to snowfall. Inhabitants lead a precarious life in a harsh climate and try to grow what food they can from this high, dry land. Most homes are poorly lit, virtually windowless, and cold in the wintertime. Family members gather around small fires made from yak dung and shrubs. They face many hardships due to food shortages, lack of transportation and almost no government services.

School Mission Statement, Rationale, and Future Plans

Kula Mountain Primary School is committed to providing free education to the poor children in this region. The school now has more than 70 students and there is demand for even more places. Through education, the school helps young people acquire skills that will enable them to improve their living conditions and prospects for the future. In addition to the government curriculum (Nepali, English, Math and Science), Kula Mountain also teaches the Tibetan language, to help ensure that the people from these regions will be able to read their histories, keep their cultural traditions alive and write their own futures. Teaching children Nepali is very helpful, as many members of older generations do not speak the national language. Now Kula Mountain School is even teaching adults Nepali.

The The Kula Mountain Primary School was started in a pre-existing, but non-functioning government school building. The original school included five rooms but due to lack of funding and the absence of government teachers, the building was not maintained and fell into disrepair. Since the re-establishment of the school, a school management committee has rebuilt and repaired the building, and is planning to add new rooms. Although stones and mud are readily available, a lack of trees and the expense of importing wood has hampered local efforts. Tinje, like other parts of upper Dolpo, is completely devoid of trees. Timber must be carried on yaks from a distance of 3-5 days away and costs Rs. 400 (US $5) per kilogram.  

Winter School

Given the climatic conditions of Dolpo, the Kula Mountain Primary School is forced to close between October and April. Life comes to a standstill as locals move to lower valleys, or migrate to Kathmandu, for approximately three months of the year. With such a short academic season in Dolpo, Kula Mountain Primary School brings students to Kathmandu in the winter, so that they may complete the set school curriculum each year. In this way, students are able to learn more about their country, its people and many cultures. They are also able to make holy pilgrimage to Boudhanath and other places of historical and religious importance. The winter program does not only prove rewarding from an educational point of view, but it also protects children from having to do hard manual work at home, particularly during the winter, and allows them to focus solely on their studies. Dolpo students are now consistently scoring higher on national standard tests than their urban counterparts.

Currently, the Kula Mountain Primary School will continue to educate students through class five. In the future, the school hopes to work together with other schools in Dolpa District to provide a complete lower secondary education curriculum in Tinje and upper secondary schooling in Dolpa District and Kathmandu. The school also aims to help reinforce relations with the village committee, as the school can only survive in the long term with ongoing local community support. The school also aims to provide an adult literacy program and work with community members to develop infrastructure in Tinje VDC. Long-term projects also include: working with local amchi (practitioners of Tibetan medicine) to found an amchi clinic in Tinje; creating a Dolpo museum and cultural center; constructing solar-heated school buildings and greenhouses; creating vocational training programs in traditional arts and handicrafts, such as thangka painting.

About the headmaster

Urken Dorje is the headmaster of Kula Mountain Primary School. He was born in Saldang VDC in Dolpo, where he studied up to class five. At that time, the school in his home village did not have any real educational facilities: no pens, books, uniforms, etc. The school was also in disrepair. After class five, Urken was sent to boarding school in lower Dolpa. However, he was the lone student from upper Dolpo, and his culture, language, and life was not the same as those students from the lowlands. He found this difficult, both socially and in terms of the education he was given. Nonetheless, Urken was graduated from class 10 (SCL pass). After this, he completed class 11 and 12 in Pokhara. Given his personal background and educational history, Urken has been committed from a young age to helping Dolpo schools develop in the future. He joined the Kula Mountaiin Primary School in 2001. He is very happy to be working with the school, and hopes that it is able to improve every year. He would like to help provide future generations of students with more facilities and opportunities. Urken hopes that the future will be bright for young people from Dolpo, and that they will be able to sustain their culture and heritage, and at the same time survive in today's world.

Current and Future Plans

Currently, the Kula Mountain Primary School is educating students through class five. In the future, the school hopes to work together with other internationally-supported boarding schools in Dolpa District to provide a complete lower secondary curriculum in Tinje and upper secondary schooling in Dolpa District and Kathmandu. The school works closely with village committees, as the school can only survive in the long-term with ongoing local community support. The school aims to expand its adult literacy program and work with community members to develop infrastructure like telephones, solar lights solar cookers, and solar water pumps as well as fuel-efficient stoves in Tinje VDC.

Long-term projects also include: working with local amchi (practitioners of Tibetan medicine) to start a clinic in Tinje; creating a Dolpo museum and cultural center; constructing passive solar-heated school buildings and greenhouses; creating vocational training programs in traditional arts and handicrafts, such as thangka painting, leather bags, and woven products.

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