Nepal's first school

by ESHA MANANDHAR

FROM ISSUE # 111 (March 2005) | IN THIS ISSUE
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Education is the building block of a country. The development of a country, or society, depends upon the quality of education provided. Nepal does not have a very long history of education among the general public. There was a time when only the ruling and elite class were given the privilege, but Durbar High School brought about a change in the scenario. On NEPAL'S this month, we take a look at the first school of the country, which was also the first to open its doors to the commoners.

Though education in Nepali already existed during the Rana regime, learning English as a subject only started after Jung Bahadur Rana invited a Briton from India to teach his children English. He then established Durbar High School at Rani Pokhari in 1854 A.D to provide education to children from the Rana families, the only social class who could afford it. The school was later opened up to the public in 1886 A.D. during the reign of Bir Shumsher.

After the advent of Democracy in 1950 A.D the school saw an increase in the number of students but, gradually, the school and the student body started changing. The students were mostly children from poor families and came from rural areas. Seeing this, children from the upper class families left, preferring to attend private schools instead.

According to the current principal, Megh Raj Khadka, the school is doing its best to provide good education to the students. A new improvement in the school is the facility of computers, an uncommon feature amongst government schools. Durbar High School now has 29 computers, donated by several NGO's such as Initiate Nepal; Singapore, Nepal Trust; UK and Rotary Club; Patan. Although these computers were used before being donated, the teachers and students there are very satisfied with the free computer education that is being provided. Another point the principal put forward is the misconception about the size of the school. People generally focus on the exterior, which looks really huge, but the truth is only the top floor is occupied by the high school, while a Sanskrit school occupies the ground floor. This causes a major hassle during admission time since, based on its history, the school receives a large number of admission seekers, the majority of whom have to return because of the limited size of the classrooms, which, in turn, cannot be divided into sections either.

Durbar High School has also been providing free education from class 1 to class 5, while the students from class 6 to class 10 have to pay a nominal amount. At the same time, there are also many students (about 10%) who drop out after, or even before, the terminal exam. Durbar High, despite being Nepal's first school, is also a victim of government apathy.

We've come a long way since the Rana regime. The teaching and learning methods have gone through massive developments. Gone are the days when only certain classes of society were allowed to receive an education. Schools have opened up in remote corners of the country with an aim to educate the hoi polloi. This clearly indicates a hopeful future, if only they could be saved from being used as a political playing ground.